As an online video claiming that dog dewormer fenbendazole could cure cancer went viral, cancer patients conducted “voluntary clinical trials,” trying the canine treatment on themselves in desperate hope. The medical industry had significant legal issues, including the Constitutional Court’s ruling that the 66-year-old anti-abortion law was unconstitutional. Hospitals suffered the worst shortage o
This year was a year where the word “safety” was particularly highlighted in the healthcare industry. The N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a potentially carcinogenic substance, which caused a ruckus after being detected in valsartan-based antihypertensive treatment last year, was further extended to ranitidine and nizatidine. Earlier this month, the medical community was startled when the carcinogen
It's not easy navigating a foreign city even if the purpose of the visit is for fun such as traveling or sightseeing. The language barrier, cultural difference, native currency, and using public transportation can all be intimidating to even a person with an outgoing character.Seoul is not an accessible city, either for foreigners to navigate. The capital city is home to about 10 million peopl
By most accounts, 2019 was another memorable year for Korea’s medical and biopharmaceutical industries. The nation saw cancer patients rushing to pharmacies to buy Fenbendazole, a dog dewormer, for its alleged efficacy in treating cancer while multinational pharmaceutical companies were engulfed in international conflicts with their labor unions. This has also been a bountiful year for this ne
Korea Biomedical Review publishes the contribution from Kim Hoh, Ph. D. and representative of THE LAB h based on his recent talk with Richard Boothman, J.D., the owner and principal of Boothman Consulting, former chief risk officer at University of Michigan Health System, and creator of the “Michigan Model.” KBR staff reporter Lee Han-soo arranged the text.—Ed. In the 1980s Ri
In May 2015, a Mongolian came to Korea and gained access to health insurance after paying a monthly premium of about 100,000 won ($89) for three months. From August, the Mongolian began to receive cancer treatment worth 84.6 million won for 241 days and went back to his country as soon as finishing the treatment.Also, a Korean-American with arthritis got various treatments after finding ou
Some South Koreans are using an unorthodox method to appreciate life and cope with real-world stress -- attending their own funeral. The Hyowon Healing Center, one of the institutions in Seoul that provides a mock funeral to the public free of charge, was packed last Wednesday with participants waiting to grasp some insight into what awaits at the end of the road.Although the method is som
Journal of Stroke, a journal by the Korean Stroke Society, ranked No. 1 in journal impact factor (JIF) among local journals registered in Web of Science, including Science Citation Index (SCI), Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI).JIF gauges the yearly average number of citations to recent articles published in a journal. The measure reflects the jo
The Watson fever has been waning among domestic medical institutions. Some are even skeptic about the usefulness of IBM’s artificial intelligence-powered software. Officials at Konyang University Hospital, however, see it differently. The medical workers at Konyang University Hospital believe that Watson makes it possible for them to apply cutting-edge, precision medicine to different clinical
For end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, traveling overseas is a challenge because they need hemodialysis at least three times a week. As most ESRD patients accompany cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, they cannot take a long flight. Besides, it is not easy to find a medical institution to receive dialysis in a foreign country.ESRD patients either give up going on an overseas trip
Tsai Hsiu-Li is a Taiwanese woman who liked traveling when she was young. However, travel became someone else’s story since she started getting dialysis due to end-stage renal disease(ESRD). She had to visit a hospital three times a week to receive dialysis. The joy of travel disappeared from her life as she suffered from the disease for 20 years.However, the so-called “travel dialysis” helped
“The pharmaceutical and biotech industry will lead our economy soon. Even now, Korean companies are conducting several clinical trials around the world. In the near future, we might have a new blockbuster drug.”President Moon Jae-in made the remark when he announced the government’s five-year plan to support 4 trillion won ($3.46 billion) for the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, on June 22.
The World Health Organization's decision to put excessive gaming on the official list of disorders has divided Korea, among different government agencies as well as between medical professionals and industrialists.On May 25, the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the WHO, unanimously approved the revised 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which classified g
Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, is one of the most common infectious diseases that afflict the Third World. According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) "World Malaria Report for 2015," malaria is responsible for 600,000 to 700,000 deaths worldwide each year. Africa accounts for 90 percent of the total deaths.Noul, a local medical diagnostic device company, plans to root out malaria b
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2019 has turned all eyes in the cancer field toward Chicago, Ill., as global biotech companies gauge the possibilities of their products’ clinical success during the convention.While Korea has recently boasted its presence in the international conference scene, some looks at the multinational companies' booths showed the massive
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is one of the most eye-catching events in the global biotech industry as it is an opportunity to gauge the clinical success of pipeline for companies on the global stage. With the conference releasing its abstracts on Wednesday, Korea Biomedical Review has decided to introduce the key points of clinical outcomes and development strategies for Korean
The advancement of information and technology (IT) is quickly changing the scenes of university hospitals in China where patients used to hire part-timers to queue in a long line to see a doctor.As mobile healthcare and digital medicine made it easier for Chinese patients to visit a hospital, gone are the days when hospitals looked like a street market. Many hospitals got rid of reception coun