The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has launched an investigation into anti-nicotine therapies that use varenicline as its main compound due to concern over the treatments containing nitrosamine impurities, a possible carcinogen substance.According to industry sources on Monday, the ministry recent
As Americans and Britons approach herd immunity from Covid-19 thanks to homegrown vaccines, Koreans wonder whether and when they will do so.In conclusion, Koreans are likely to receive homegrown vaccines early next year, as local developers of Covid-19 vaccines will soon get on the home stretch, acc
BeiGene’s Brukinsa (ingredient: zanubrutinib) demonstrated a superior objective response rate (ORR) than Janssen’s Imbruvica (ibrutinib) in relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in a clinical trial.In Korea, reimbursable second-line treatment o
Bridge Biotherapeutics said it began administering BBT-401, an ulcerative colitis treatment candidate, to U.S. patients last Friday as part of its phase 2a multinational clinical trial to examine the drug’s efficacy and safety.“This trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of BBT-401 in 36 patien
Researchers developed an oral two-drug combination regimen for the first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which outperformed the conventional chemotherapy plus an antibody injection. CLL occurs mostly in the elderly.The researchers unveiled the results of the GLOW trial, evaluat
Astellas Pharma’s Xtandi (ingredient: enzalutamide), the latecomer drug that expanded indication for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), scored the U.K.’s recommendation for reimbursement.The recommendation for Xtandi came faster than rival drugs Janssen’s Zytiga (abiraterone aceta
Hanmi Pharmaceutical said Friday that it would develop a next-generation resistant lung cancer-targeted therapy with Dankook University.Hanmi will develop the targeted therapy for lung cancer with fewer side effects and excellent efficacy while overcoming resistance problems in collaboration with Pr
A research team at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) has discovered a method for a patient-specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination schedule for cancer patients who finished treatment.Patients who have completed cancer treatment have to undergo regular MRI monitoring. However, t
Cellid is speeding up a phase-2b/3 trial of AdCLD-CoV19, a Covid-19 vaccine candidate, and getting ready for mass production, raising hopes that a homegrown Covid-19 vaccine will arrive soon.“We’ve already produced vaccines for a phase-3 trial at the Animal Cell Culture Substantiation Center in Ando
The price of Yuhan's third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Leclaza (ingredient: lazertinib), will be slightly lower than AstraZeneca's Tagrisso.According to industry insiders, Yuhan has completed its
JW Pharmaceutical said Wednesday that Ertapenem, a carbapenem-based antibiotic using locally developed raw material, has landed in the U.S. market for the first time.In 2017, JW Holdings, the holding company of JW Pharmaceutical, signed a contract to export raw materials for ertapenem with Grand Pha
Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors have recently shown remarkable treatment outcomes in hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer.Although those drugs are increasingly used for earlier stages of breast cancer, each drug dem
Korean pharmaceutical companies developing drugs and diagnostics related to dementia enjoyed benefits from the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Biogen and Eisai's Alzheimer's disease treatment, aducanumab.For instance, PeopleBio, a company developing technology for early diagno
Daewoong Pharmaceutical said it has signed an agreement with Neurogastrx, a U.S. partner, to license out gastroesophageal reflux treatment, Fexuprazan,Under the accord, Neurogastrx will develop and license Fexuprazan in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, Daewoong will receive 5 percent of Neurogastrx
Daewoong Pharmaceutical said it completed the administration of Coviblock, an investigational oral Covid-19 drug, in a phase-2b trial on Friday.Coviblock is another name of Foister Tab. (camostat mesylate), a chronic pancreatitis treatment Daewoong is repurposing as an oral Covid-19 drug.Daewoong re
GC Pharma said it would drop its effort to commercialize GC5131, a plasma therapy candidate for the treatment of Covid-19.On Friday, GC Pharma said in a public filing that it would withdraw its application for a conditional nod for GC5131.On April 30, the company sought the Ministry of Food and Drug
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s U.S. partner, has been sued for infringing on the patent right of neutropenia treatment Rolontis (ingredient: eflapegrastim) by Bioverativ Therapeutics, Hanmi said Friday.Bioverativ filed a complaint against Spectrum with a U.S. district court on May
Local pharmaceutical companies, the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA), and the Korean Pharmaceutical Association (KPA) have rolled up their sleeves to promote local brands of acetaminophen-containing medicines.After the health authorities recommended taking antipy
Organon Korea said Thursday that Organon, a spinoff of Merck, has officially launched as a differentiated global healthcare company focusing on women’s health.Organon Korea, as a local offshoot of Organon, has prepared for the shift since February. “Based on market-leading products treating chronic
Icure Pharmaceutical recently obtained the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s nod to export patch-type donepezil, a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.The export approval is expected to speed up the shipment of the patch to China in particular, as the company signed a deal to supply the product to Ch