[THE INVESTOR] ChongKunDang’s pharmaceutical composition CKD-506 has been approved by Netherland’s Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (CCMO) for phase 1 clinical trials, it announced on Aug. 9.

The preclinical candidate is for the treatment of autoimmune diseases by selectively inhibiting HDAC6 that can affect a variety of inflammatory diseases. It represses inflammation and enhances T cell function that tailors immune responses, and has been found to be effective for rheumatoid arthritis, relieving joint swelling and bone deformation. 



Based on the preclinical data, the safety of the composition will be tested in the clinical trials, for which it has been supported by the government’s Korea Drug Development Fund.

“CKD-506 has enough potential to replace existing biomedicine,” according to the pharmaceutical company. “We believe that the drug will be an alternative in rheumatoid arthritis treatment market, expected to grow into US$19 billion by 2022.”

By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)