[TIDE Reporter YU JIN-HEE ] The founder and CEO of Peptron, Inc.(087010), a company specializing in the development of innovative peptide-based new drugs, has clearly demonstrated his commitment to responsible management by personally purchasing the company’s shares on the open market.

Peptron, Inc. announced on the 14th that CEO Choi Ho-il had acquired a total of 10,000 shares of the company’s stock through on-market purchases.

According to the disclosure, CEO Choi now holds a total of 1,676,662 shares following this purchase. Consequently, his personal stake has increased by 0.04 percentage points to 7.19%.

A Peptron, Inc. official explained, “This share purchase by the largest shareholder reflects the management’s firm commitment to strengthening responsible management as a publicly listed company and enhancing shareholder value,” adding, “It is also an expression of confidence in Peptron, Inc.’s proprietary technology and future earnings growth potential.”

Capital market experts analyzed that, at a time of high volatility in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, the management’s move to increase their stake by using their own funds serves as a positive signal that firmly reinforces the stock price’s downside support.

In fact, Peptron, Inc. is achieving significant commercial success based on “SmartDepot,” its proprietary long-acting drug delivery system (DDS) platform developed in-house. Peptron, Inc. has already successfully commercialized “Loop One,” a one-month sustained-release leuprolide formulation for the treatment of prostate cancer and precocious puberty, in the domestic market. Following the acquisition of marketing authorization from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety last year, the company is accelerating its global expansion by submitting a marketing authorization application to health authorities in Mexico—one of the largest markets in Central and South America—earlier this year.

Development of its pipeline of diabetes and obesity treatments—the hottest topics in the global market—is also progressing smoothly. Peptron, Inc. has demonstrated excellent weight loss efficacy and gastrointestinal tolerability through preclinical results for “PT403,” a one-month sustained-release obesity treatment candidate based on the active ingredient semaglutide.

In particular, PT403 recently received official confirmation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through a pre-consultation process that it is eligible for the “modified new drug” clinical pathway—a fast-track approval process. Utilizing this pathway allows the company to cite safety data from an existing comparator drug that has already received regulatory approval, thereby dramatically reducing the duration of global clinical trials and the astronomical costs associated with them.

Investments in infrastructure to proactively address growing global supply volumes are also in the final stages of preparation. Peptron, Inc. is moving forward with the construction of its second Osong plant on a site in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, with the goal of breaking ground this September. Once the new plant is completed, the company will gain additional global-scale mass production capacity for its core pipeline products based on the Smart Depot platform.