Vivozon Secured Patents for Non-Opioid Pain Candidate
The company obtained intellectual property rights in South Korea and Israel for a drug candidate targeting non-opioid pain relief.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Biotech
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Vivozon has secured patent registrations in South Korea and Israel for VVZ-2471, an oral non-opioid analgesic candidate. This development expands the company's intellectual property portfolio to eight global jurisdictions.
Why it matters
The candidate aims to reduce the clinical reliance on opioid-based analgesics by mitigating common issues like addiction and drug tolerance. Its development seeks to provide safer pain management alternatives through targeted molecular intervention.
The patents cover a core group of 125 specific compounds. The drug candidate operates via a dual mechanism targeting metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2A).
The players
Vivozon
A pharmaceutical company focused on the development of non-opioid analgesics targeting neurological and pain pathways.
The details
VVZ-2471 functions by modulating two distinct receptors to control pain signaling. By targeting mGluR5—a receptor involved in excitatory neurotransmission—and the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, the drug seeks to inhibit pain pathways without triggering the opioid receptor system. The research-stage drug has already completed Phase 2 dosing for postherpetic neuralgia in South Korea and received Investigational New Drug approval in the United States.
Timeline
September 21, 2026: Vivozon announced the patent registrations for VVZ-2471 in South Korea and Israel.
The Tech Race
The pursuit of non-opioid analgesics represents a competitive shift toward molecularly targeted pain relief in pharmaceutical R&D. Vivozon's progress in securing international patents places its candidate among the early-stage efforts attempting to move beyond conventional addiction-prone pain medication.
The drug candidate remains in the research and trial phase, meaning it is not currently available for patient use. Future accessibility will depend on the successful completion of U.S. clinical trials and regulatory approval processes.
The takeaway
Vivozon is building a global patent moat around a dual-receptor pain candidate designed to avoid the pitfalls of opioid medication. Observers should track the upcoming results from U.S. investigator-led clinical trials as the next milestone for the program.
What happens next
The company is set to continue domestic Phase 2 clinical trials and expand U.S. investigator-led trials to move toward potential commercialization.
Further reading
For more on the latest research in drug development, visit Biotech.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 조선일보.
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