HEM Pharmaco has set a goal of turning a profit next year by tapping the US market with Vignal, an artificial intelligence-based autonomous health platform. Under the strategy, a toilet-mounted sensor automatically analyzes gut microbiome data from stool to provide customized solutions, then feeds the resulting changes in health data back into the system to refine the service.
In an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily at the company's headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 25th, Ji Joseph, CEO of HEM Pharmaco (376270), said, "By repeatedly analyzing the microbiome and providing solutions, we can advance the platform and build an autonomous health platform." He added, "We aim to officially launch Vignal within this year at the earliest, enter the US market next year and turn a profit." The microbiome is the collection of microorganisms that live in the human body and is also used as an indicator of a person's health.
Vignal is a platform that provides health management solutions such as customized health functional foods. It improves convenience by having a toilet-mounted sensor collect and analyze a user's bowel data to provide solutions, without requiring users to collect and send stool samples directly as before. "Users take customized health functional foods and receive health management services by conversing with a large language model (LLM)-based AI within the platform," Ji said. "Going forward, we will also pursue a business model that partners with insurers to offer premium discounts or refunds to users who maintain their health indicators above a certain level." The company is currently conducting a business demonstration of Vignal with Celltrion (068270) and is in the final stages of a partnership agreement with another global company.
HEM Pharmaco has built its business foundation by signing a 20-year exclusive contract with the global company Amway and launching MyLab, a customized microbiome analysis service, in 2022. Along with MyLab's expansion into Japan this year, the company has secured a cumulative 90,000 pre-orders worth 9.3 billion won ($6.7 million). First-half revenue rose 49.8% from a year earlier to 9.5 billion won.
The company is also building a second plant in Sejong with an investment of 27 billion won ($19.5 million). "This is an investment to respond to business expansion, including the growth of the MyLab and Vignal businesses and the production of new microbiome-based products," Ji said.
