DBPR168, a neuroprotective drug candidate jointly developed by the Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research of the National Health Research Institutes and National Cheng Kung University, was licensed to AnHorn Medicines Co., Ltd. at the end of 2024. Since then, AnHorn has taken the lead in advancing the program’s subsequent clinical development, achieving a series of important milestones in 2026.
Earlier this year, DBPR168 received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Investigational New Drug application and was also selected by Taiwan’s Center for Drug Evaluation as a benchmark drug development program. More recently, the first participant was successfully dosed in the Phase I clinical trial, marking the candidate’s formal entry into clinical evaluation in humans and laying an important foundation for its continued development.
This progress highlights the achievements of NHRI and National Cheng Kung University in innovative drug discovery and academic collaboration. It also demonstrates the translational value of technology transfer, with an industry partner carrying the program forward into clinical development, and represents a significant milestone in the development of DBPR168.
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