VM BioPharma Announces Generic Name “donaperminogene seltoplasmid” for Investigational Novel Gene Therapy, VM202

The movement of donaperminogene seltoplasmid toward commercialization is further evidenced by the ongoing enrollment of two Phase III studies within the US.

American Medical Association (AMA) and World Health Organization (WHO) Simultaneously Accept Generic Name

November 15, 2017 – Atlanta, GA – VM BioPharma, the United States (US) division of ViroMed Co., Ltd (KOSDAQ: 084990), today announced that the American Medical Association (AMA) United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Nonproprietary Name (INN) expert group have both accepted donaperminogene seltoplasmid (don’’ a per min’ oh jeen set’ oh plas mid) as the generic name for VM202.

“Assignment of donaperminogene seltoplasmid as the generic name for VM202 is a definitive milestone in ViroMed’s movement toward global commercialization of its lead asset, said Dr. Seungshin Yu, Executive Director Strategic Business Development. “The combination of a robust gene therapy pipeline, multiple successfully completed Phase 2 trials and the newly accepted generic name are all testament to ViroMed’s ability to execute upon its strategic plan to design, evaluate and commercialize innovative treatment options to the benefit of individuals living with chronic degenerative diseases.”

The movement of donaperminogene seltoplasmid (VM202) toward commercialization is further evidenced by the ongoing enrollment of two Phase 3 studies within the US. The first Phase 3 study seeks to confirm the benefits of VM202 for individuals living with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN) - while the second is focused on treating individuals with non-healing chronic diabetic foot ulcers (NHU). Both PDPN and NHU are prevalent and serious complications of diabetes. Persistent hyperglycemia observed in individuals living with diabetes has been associated with reduced endogenous levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and other metabolic changes within the body,

About VM202

VM202 (donaperminogene seltoplasmid) is a proprietary gene therapy from ViroMed. VM202 is an engineered DNA plasmid containing novel genomic cDNA hybrid human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) coding sequence (HGF-X7) expressing two isoforms of HGF, HGF728 and HGF723. The key feature of the HGF-X7 is that it was designed by inserting part of intron sequences into certain sites of HGF cDNA so that both isoforms of HGF protein are expressed simultaneously and efficiently as in the human genome. Because there is no change in the coding region of the HGF gene, HGF proteins generated from VM202 are identical to wild-type human HGF proteins.

When introduced into the body, VM202 produces hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) protein, which induces angiogenesis and acts as a neurotrophic factor, leading to the formation of new microvasculature and inducing regeneration of nerve cells.

About VM BioPharma and ViroMed Co., Ltd.

VM BioPharma is the US division of ViroMed Co., Ltd., an R&D focused biopharmaceutical company based in Seoul, Korea, developing new and innovative biopharmaceuticals to meet unmet medical needs. Currently, the company is actively focusing on developing the proprietary plasmid DNA-based drug VM202 at various clinical stages in the U.S., Korea, and China, for cardiovascular and neurological diseases, including but not limited to, PDPN, NHU, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and ischemica heart disease (IHD)

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