Korean Startup J&T Biotech develops self-use auto-injector for allergy medication

There is a rise in demand for home medication solutions in the Coronavirus era. More and more people prefer tele-medicine or self-medication for manageable ailments like allergies, diabetes, hormone therapy, etc. Korean startup J&T Biotech has pioneered in bringing in self-injectable device – ‘Epitoc’, which is designed to allow patients to inject themselves. It is primarily used to treat patients with acute allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis.

Founded in June 2020 by CEO Jeong Ryul Ryu and three other founders, the medi-tech startup is keen to pursue its unchanging values and wants to continually challenge the future and be a company for the new world post-COVID 19 era.

Epitoc – easy to use automatic syringe

The startup’s prime product Epitoc is an acute allergy syringe containing epinephrine, a sympathetic nerve stimulant, used to treat a patient suffering from a reaction as an emergency. Epitoc is an automatic syringe that allows the patient to inject himself or others around him. The epinephrine auto-injector is exclusively supplied to the domestic market with a product imported overseas, “Zechst.” In the epinephrine auto-injector market that relies on XEXT, Epitoc has been developed to improve public health by stably supplying pharmaceuticals through the development of auto-injectors and domestic production for the first time in Korea. Epitoc’s primary consumers are emergency anaphylaxis patients, medical and public institutions, and military units requiring emergency treatment and disease prevention.

Product expansion for other ailments

Based on the success of the development of Epitoc, the company plans to expand its pharmaceutical products so that they can apply automatic syringes to other drugs. J&T Biotech will provide an automatic injection solution specialized for each disease for diseases that depend on injection treatment, such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases. The startup plans to diversify auto-injector products by establishing a convenient drug delivery system for drugs with periodic demand for injections such as coronavirus and hormone therapy.

“In particular, it is said Epitoc is also excellent in timeliness because it supports remote medical treatment, which has increased necessity due to the Corona 19 pandemic. It enables patients to directly administer therapeutic drugs and vaccinations for infectious diseases without the medical staff’s direct help. You can. In the future Era of telemedicine, I believe that automatic syringes will be a necessary drug delivery platform for self-drug treatment through remote medical examination” CEO Jeong Ryul Ryu.

Company expansion plans

The spread of allergic diseases is a worldwide trend. As of 2015, the global epinephrine auto-injector market is estimated to be approximately 2 trillion won or $ 184 billion, and it is still growing. The startup has applied for the recruitment of startup companies in preliminary startup packages supervised by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. It has already signed a formal agreement with the company and is receiving a project cost of 44 million won or about $40k. Based on the domestic market’s success, J&T Biotech plans to promote Epitoc to the world, including China, by expanding overseas patent applications. In particular, the company intends to preoccupy the auto-injector market by rapidly advancing into China, where the bio-industry has started to snowball. It has already completed a provisional patent application for the Epitoc technology. J&T Biotech launched its mock-up product in October 2020 after completing its design, operation tests, and 3D prototype production.

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