Company Overview#
BICHEDAM is a biotech company that makes medicines from natural plant ingredients for vascular diseases that come with aging. The company blends traditional Korean medicine with modern drug development standards. It is based in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, and also has branch offices in Seoul and Daegu.
Technology & Product#
BICHEDAM’s lead candidate, BCD101, is an oral natural-product-based therapeutic candidate currently developed as a liquid soft-extract formulation. It is based on a standardized six-herb medicinal extract, with puerarin from kudzu root as one of the key marker compounds. BCD101 is designed to modulate vascular and smooth muscle function, with preclinical evidence suggesting involvement of the RhoA/ROCK-related contraction pathway. In simple terms, it aims to help regulate abnormal blood vessel tightening and muscle cramping linked to aging-related vascular dysfunction.
Puerarin has long been known for its vascular and neurovascular pharmacology, but its clinical use as an oral therapy has been limited by poor and variable oral bioavailability. BICHEDAM’s formulation and extraction approach is designed to improve oral systemic exposure of puerarin. In the completed Phase I study, orally administered BCD101 showed measurable systemic exposure of puerarin with a rapid Tmax profile.
Market & Use Cases#
BCD101 is aimed at Nocturnal Leg Cramps (NLC), the painful leg cramps that strike at night. Right now, there is no widely accepted drug specifically approved for NLC, so many patients rely on stretching, supplements, or off-label treatments. BICHEDAM sees this gap as a clear unmet need.
The company notes that NLC is common among middle-aged and older adults, especially as vascular aging and circulation problems become more common. BICHEDAM plans to expand its pipeline into other aging-related vascular conditions, including high blood pressure linked to aging and other vascular or neurovascular disorders.
Traction & References#
In 2024, BICHEDAM was chosen for TIPS, a Korean government startup support program, which came with KRW 500 million in research funding over two years(Venture Square). The company has raised a total of KRW 2.3 billion across its Seed and Pre-A rounds from multiple institutional investors, including startup investment firms, regional technology holding companies, the Korea Agriculture Policy Insurance & Finance Service, and the Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KIBO).
BCD101 received Phase 1 IND approval from Korea’s MFDS, the country’s drug regulator. The trial was run in healthy adults at Chungbuk National University Hospital(BioTimes). BICHEDAM finished this Phase 1 study in 2026, showing good safety and tolerability, and confirmed that puerarin could be measured in the blood after oral dosing with BCD101(K-Job News).
The company also licensed know-how from Yeungnam University on how to keep BCD101 high-quality and stable(Yeungnam University). Its patents include a granted US patent (12,329,798 B2), registered Korean patents, and additional applications covering vascular and neurovascular indications(BICHEDAM).
Collaboration Relevance#
BICHEDAM is looking for pharmaceutical partners in Europe to discuss how BCD101 could be developed and partnered in the region. The company is especially interested in partners that understand phytomedicine, vascular aging, sleep-related symptoms, and elderly-care markets.
BCD101 is a good fit for these discussions because it has completed Phase 1 testing in healthy adults, is taken by mouth as an oral liquid soft-extract formulation, works in a new way, and targets NLC, a condition with no widely accepted drug made specifically for it.
The company’s investors, hospital network, and planned Phase II collaboration with Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital show that it is preparing for international clinical and pharmaceutical partnerships.