In this era of the digital world and fourth industrial revolution, what is as important as – if not more than – specific technologies is how to connect them into one organic system. The healthcare sector is no exception.That explains why Mikko Kauppinen established the “Health Innovation and Energy Village in Finland several years ago -- to group digital health startups together to a GE Health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday it approved Ingrezza (valbenazine) capsules to treat patients with tardive dyskinesia, making it the first drug recognized for this disease.Tardive dyskinesia is a neurological disorder marked by repetitive, involuntary movements, such as grimacing, sticking out the tongue and smacking the lips, according to its press release. Rapid invo
Medical doctors and professors from Korea and Italy exchanged views on “personalized medicine” and other pathological issues that require bilateral cooperation, at a symposium held at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul on Tuesday.Professor Francesco Profumo, president of Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, presented his goal of accelerating the deployment of genomic solutions for entire sequencing popula
Merck & Co. said the U.S. FDA had rejected its additional non-disclosure agreement to append cardiovascular data of a diabetes treatment Januvia® (sitagliptin), which helps patients’ body release more insulin to lower blood sugar.Januvia is a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitor indicated for adults with type-2 diabetes, as a subordinate to diet and exercise. It won its first FDA appro
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) completed its annual K-Pharma Academy (KPA) program last week, introducing the nation’s medical and pharmaceutical industry to officials from Latin American countries.Throughout the weeklong course, foreign participants learned about the recent and most innovative tactics from Korean pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturers as w
A 2014 study commissioned by the National Assembly concluded that South Koreans could face natural extinction by 2750 if its birthrate remains unchanged at the current 1.19 children per woman, quoting the U.S. Brookings Institution.It is a small surprise then the government has come up with various measures, including maternity benefits and free childcare, to jack up the almost lowest fertilit
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Austedo™(deutetrabenazine) tablets for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease (HD), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said Wednesday.Previously referred to by the developmental name SD-809, Austedo™ is the first deuterated product approved by the FDA and only the second product approved in HD, the Jerusalem-based drugmaker s
Inha University Hospital and Kyrgyz National Infectious Disease Hospital signed a business agreement in the Central Asian country on Friday, officials at the Korean hospital said. The two hospitals promised to cooperate for the substantive development of their institutions through human exchanges, including the training of medical professionals. They also agreed to cooperate actively for the
Privately-led cooperation between the industry and academia to innovate the domestic digital healthcare sector has borne fruits. Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) signed the “agreement for the joint research of Korean-model digital healthcare” with the representatives of 10 domestic IT companies Wednesday, hospital officials said.The 10 companies possess superior technology or have ma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Tuesday approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) to treat adult patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).Ocrevus is the first drug approved by the FDA for PPMS. It is a blood infusion given by a health care professional. The FDA granted approval of Ocrevus to Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary
Alteogen, a Korean developer of biosimilars, said Wednesday it would transfer the technology of its ALT-L2, a biosimilar product of breast and gastric cancer treatment Herceptin, to China’s Qilu Pharmaceutical.The two companies will jointly complete the development of the antibody drug biosimilar developed by Alteogen, and cooperate for its approval, production, and marketing in China, off
It’s been some time that low birthrate became one of the most serious social and economic problems in Korea. Various medical and pharmaceutical firms have approached this issue from different angles.Roche Diagnostics Korea’s answer was the “AMH test,” a critical tool for dealing with infertility, and another test on disease awareness on “Pre-eclampsia,” a kind of toxemia during pregnancy, refl
The 22nd CardioVascular Summit-TCTAP 2017 will open for a three-day run on April 25 at Coex, southern Seoul. CardioVascular Research Foundation will host the annual event, and Heart Institute of Asan Medical Center will sponsor it.The officially titled International Congress on Coronary Artery Intervention (TCTAP) held its inaugural meeting at Asan Medical Center in 1995 and has since become a
The U.S Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to Bavencio (avelumab) for the treatment of adults and children patients 12 years or older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), including those who have not received chemotherapy.Bavencio is the first FDA-approved treatment for metastatic MCC, a rare, destructive form of skin cancer, the U.S. agency said in a press release Thurs
People catch fish to eat or watch, with the latter case limited to some aquarium fish. Brazilian doctors have recently added one more use – treating burn patients.According to international journals, physicians in Fortazela, Brazil, cover burn patients with fish skin, or more correctly “sterilized tilapia,” which helps patients recover at a much faster rate.Doctors in Fortezela are tes
At a time when smart healthcare technology is catching on as a new growth business, two local institutions have joined hands to develop “AI-aided early diagnosis technology of glaucoma,” officials said Wednesday.The operators of the national health examination program have used funduscopic tests to sort out diabetic retinopathy. If they can analyze the slight changes in photographed images, ho
“TPX-105,” a wrinkle-improving cell therapy product developed by Tego Science, has shown excellent effects with just a single administration, raising hopes for its market release, the company said Wednesday.TPX-105 is an autochthonous skin cell treatment using the cells of patients. In February, the drug applied to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for its permission and review is under way
Nearly two-and-a-half years have passed since Shin Hae-chul, one of the nation’s most famous pop musicians, died from a medical accident, but it seems unlikely his fans will soon know exactly where the responsibility lies.In the first hearing of the appeals trial Thursday, Kang Se-hoon, the doctor who was convicted in a lower court on a charge of professional negligence resulting in death, ple
“KIMES 2017,” the 33rd Korea International Medical & Hospital Equipment Show, started its four-day exhibition at Coex, southern Seoul, on Thursday.A total of 1,292 companies from 41 countries are participating in the annual industrial fair, displaying about 30,000 medical equipment and hospital devices, said officials at the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea E&X Inc.Major medica
Korea is known for its high-tech advances, the rise of K-pop and luxurious skin care products, but what everyone doesn’t know is Korea’s forgotten generation. The nation has the worst senior poverty rate among developed countries, and the options for older adults are slim.According to Statistics Korea, Seoul citizens aged 60 or over had the highest suicide rates, with 50.3 seniors per popu