Engedi 1000 (E1K) for Degenerative Arthritis

Degenerative arthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease and osteoarthritis, is characterized by gradual loss of articular cartilage accompanied by secondary changes and symptoms. Due to the gradual damage or degenerative changes in the joint cartilage that absorbs shock between the bones forming the joint, a secondary injury occurs in the bones forming the joint, synovial membrane, nearby ligaments, etc., resulting in pain, deformation, and dysfunction. It is the most common type of inflammatory diseases affecting joints. According to the data released by a market research agency called Technavio (Global Osteoarthritis Therapeutics Market 2020-2024, Technavio), of people who are aged 60 and older, 10% of men and 18% of women suffer from osteoarthritis. The market for osteoarthritis treatment agents is expected to grow to USD 10 billion (approx. KRW 11 trillion) in size by 2024, but since this estimation was made based on relatively cheaper drugs, such as painkillers, a launch of an actual treatment agent will expand the market size tremendously. In Korea, in particular, there are more than 4 million osteoarthritis patients, as of 2019, according to the National Health Insurance Service of Korea.

Engedi 1000 (E1K), a treatment agent for osteoarthritis, is similar to P2K in terms of treatment direction, but instead of affecting the Smad2/3 signaling pathway, it only inhibits Smad1/5/8 signaling. Peniel 2000 (P2K) for degenerative disk disease and Engedi 1000 (E1K) for osteoarthritis developed by Ensol Biosciences consist of short peptides of biological origin. That is, these two treatment agents are made from amino acid chains of proteins existing in living organisms, instead of being produced by chemical synthesis reactions. The active ingredients were found by searching for a substance that exists in all vertebrates, based on the hypothesis that all vertebrates naturally have substances that prevent cartilage degeneration and promote regeneration, and they were used to synthesize the drugs in question. Ensol Biosciences have carried out clinical trials as well as animal testing and obtained approval for an osteoarthritis drug for animals in February 2020. The drug is currently supplied to some 600 veterinary hospitals to be used to treat countless companion dogs among other animals. While there were many medicines for DDD or osteoarthritis that were shown to be effective during animal testing but not clinical trials involving human subjects, Ensol Biosciences’ P2K and E1K are much more likely to be effective in humans, as they are made from substances that naturally exist and have shown to be effective in vertebrates, including humans.