Among pharmaceuticals and biologics stocks in the last week of December, Ildong Pharmaceutical received the most investor attention.
Ildong Pharmaceutical fell 27.31% on the 28th, followed by a drop of 4.67% on the 29th, the last trading day of this year.
The share price of Ildong Pharmaceutical, which started trading last week at 41,200 won, dropped to 28,550 won in an instant.
Most of the increase which maxed out on the 15th of last month, just after Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced they were discussing whether to approve the emergency use of the Corona 19 treatment “Zokoba “, was returned.
![It went up 13% in one day… Because Ildong Pharmaceutical's stock price crashed [한재영의 바이오 핫앤드콜드]](https://i0.wp.com/img.hankyung.com/photo/202212/01.32251296.1.png?w=900&ssl=1)
Ildong Pharmaceutical’s stock price is on a roller coaster due to the edible Corona 19 treatment, Zocoba.
Zokoba is a treatment for COVID-19 developed by Ildong Pharmaceutical and Japanese company Shionogi Pharmaceutical. Ildong Pharmaceutical holds the sales rights in the domestic market.
The active substance in Zokoba is encitrelvir.
Like Pfizer’s COVID-19 treatment paxrovid (ritonavir narmatrelvir), it is an antiviral drug, as can be seen from the ending in “vir”.
Inhibits 3CL protease, a proteolytic enzyme used by the COVID-19 virus to replicate. As a result, it prevents the proliferation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Domestic introduction was planned, but on the 28th, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided not to seek emergency use approval for Jokoba. In Japan, it received emergency use approval on the 22nd of last month.
As a result, Ildong Pharmaceutical’s share price jumped 13% the next day.
The Agency for Disease Control and Prevention discussed the clinical efficacy and safety of Zokova and, importantly, the feasibility of emergency introduction in Korea, but considered that the need for approval for use emergency was low.
The Agency for Disease Control and Prevention said: “We will continue to monitor overseas emergency use approval, follow-up clinical outcomes and purchase and use.”
In a short period of time, Zokoba is unlikely to be supplied to Korea after getting approval from our quarantine authorities. The sharp decline in the stock price appears to be due to this effect.
However, the domestic introduction has not completely failed.
Ildong Pharmaceutical was said to be preparing for conditional authorization in preparation for the possibility of canceling its emergency use approval. Getting approval earlier is a condition for submitting a final clinical report.
Celltrion’s COVID-19 antibody treatment, Leckirona, and SK Bioscience’s COVID-19 vaccine, SkyCoby1, also received national approval subject to a final clinical report.
In Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in Japan and Korea, it took Zokova 167.9 hours (median) to improve symptoms, showing a better effect than 192.2 hours for placebo.
The secondary evaluation index, the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the body, was also significantly reduced. Dosage: Take 1 tablet per day for a total of 5 days.
Reporter Han Jae-young jyhan@hankyung.com
