Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 9th that Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA), the primary ingredient in its flagship product Ursa, has shown signs of improving symptoms in patients suffering from post-COVID sequelae within two to six months after infection. The findings were published online on the 3rd in the international journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
According to the study, the symptom improvement rate in the UDCA treatment group among patients in the two-to-six-month post-infection window was 81.6%. This is significantly higher than the 57.1% reported in the placebo group—representing a 43% higher improvement level. In contrast, no such signals of recovery were observed in the patient group that had passed the six-month mark since their initial infection.
Immune Analysis and Inflammatory Indicators
The research team also conducted supplementary immune analyses to monitor inflammatory changes in patients, regardless of their reported symptom improvement. In the group where symptoms improved, there was a noticeable trend of decreasing inflammation-related indicators. This shift was more pronounced in the patient group within the two-to-six-month post-infection period. However, researchers cautioned that further analysis is required to definitively determine if these inflammatory changes are a direct result of the drug's effect.
The study was conducted as a research project by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and was led by Professor Kim Seong-han of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Asan Medical Center.
Establishing New Treatment Strategies
"Post-COVID sequelae is a clinical area where standardized drug treatment strategies have not yet been firmly established," Professor Kim stated. "This study is significant because it suggests the need for tailored treatment strategies based on the timing of patient observation and highlights the necessity for additional clinical research."
Lee Chang-jae, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, added, "The potential value of UDCA continues to be confirmed through various studies. This latest research is meaningful as it observed clear improvement signals in the post-COVID sequelae patient group during the critical two-to-six-month window."
