SK Chemicals said Monday it would export independently developed cell-culture vaccine production technology to multinational pharma giant Sanofi Pasteur, in a licensing agreement estimated to reach $155 million.The vaccine production technology differs from existing methods by using animal cells that enable a quick and efficient production process, according to SK Chemicals.Sanofi will
Despite the Olympic Games kicking off with a sworn oath to refrain from political demonstrations, the 2018 Winter Olympics have become a political battlefield involving issues with North Korea, and now, protests over dog meat.The issue of dog meat has been one of central controversy at many international sporting events. During the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea-Japan, e
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) Friday gave regulatory approvals to four multinational pharmaceutical companies – Bayer, Roche, Eli Lilly and Company, and AstraZeneca – to carry out clinical trials for their immunotherapies on Korean patients in the country.Bayer Korea to start clinical trial on urogenital cancer patientsBayer Korea got approval to carry out a phase 2/3 tri
Soonchunhyang University Hospital said Friday that it would commence work with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to build a hospital that provides critical care services in Iraq.The International Health Care and Planning Department, which acts as the headquarters of the Iraqi medical sector, held a project meeting at the Korean university Thursday with the attendance of 20 exp
Domestic and international tobacco companies are rolling out their heat-not-burn cigarettes in the Korean market with Philip Morris Friday launching a Metallic Blue edition of the iQOS, dubbed the “iPhone of e-cigs.”Metallic Blue cigarettes, priced at 120,000 won ($110), will be sold in stores both online and offline and retail chains such as E-Mart, the company said. The recent limited ed
Takeda Pharmaceuticals Korea said Friday it published new phase 3 trial data that supports the safety and efficacy profile of hypertension drug Edarbi in Korean patients with hypertension.Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a chronic condition wherein the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. Patients who struggle with elevated blood pressure long-term are at
MSD Korea said Thursday that its revenue-driving anti-PD-1 immunotherapy Keytruda gained three new indications for head and neck cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and urothelial cancer last month.The anticancer drug can now be used to treat a total of five types of specific cancer types in Korea. It had previously gained approval to treat melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer, the latter being
Olympic officials went into an emergency state as the norovirus infection has spread to an additional 54 people, a day ahead of the winter games opening on Friday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), at a press briefing Wednesday, said the number of infected people rose from 32 to 86 people, including security guards, police officers, and a few reporting assistants.
Allergan Korea said it led the domestic medical aesthetic market with double-digit growth last year, noting the company’s earnings report that beat the Wall Street’s estimates.“The driving force behind Allergan’s double-digit growth comes mainly from the successful increase in product awareness through launching new products and employing customer-centered communication,” said Angie Kim, head
The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) said Monday that it would cancel reimbursement expansion for malignant melanoma treatment Zelboraf (ingredient: vemurafenib).Zelboraf, co-developed by Roche’s subsidiary Genentech and Plexxikon, is a B-Raf enzyme inhibitor to treat late-stage melanoma. The drug first gained insurance coverage last July when used in the “first adm
Howard Lee, researcher and professor at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), and his team are researching micro-dosing technology for new drug development in Korea, on the heels of testing approval from the U.S. FDA.Micro-dosing technology uses extremely low, nonpharmacological active doses of a drug to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug. The technology attaches a microsco
The domestic pharmaceutical industry marked increases in employment and R&D spending as a percentage of sales, a recent report from the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA) said.Although the global pharmaceutical industry saw hiring freezes and layoffs in the past several years, the Korean pharmaceutical sector saw an opposite trend recording a near 30 percent
Wonju Severance Christian Hospital said it had mobilized 124 medical workers for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, which will kick off on Feb. 9.Wonju Severance is one of the two hospitals designated for the upcoming Winter Games, and the hospital started to provide medical care beginning Jan. 25. GangNeung Asan Hospital is the other named medical institution.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday that it granted insurance coverage to Amgen’s multiple myeloma therapy while expanding the coverage for two leading immunotherapies – Opdivo and Keytruda.Considering the recent decisions allow patients to shoulder only a minuscule portion of total medical bills, cancer patients are likely to benefit from increased access to and lower financial bur
Kyung Hee University Hospital in Gangdong said Monday that its research team proved TNF inhibitors could heal damaged hip joints and improve coordination of ankylosing spondylitis patients who also have hip arthritis.The findings from the study, led by Professor Lee Sang-hoon from the hospital’s department of rheumatology is significant as it is the world’s first case to suggest the possib
AstraZeneca Korea said Kim Sang-pyo took office as its new CEO on Monday. Kim had led MSD Korea’s oncology department from 2016 after acquiring more than 10 years of experience in the industry. The Korean branch of AstraZeneca expressed high expectations for Kim, saying that his experience in the field of oncology will help expand the company’s anticancer portfolio.“Kim’s variou
Despite the Korean government’s negative stance on marijuana, a lawmaker is working to pass a bill to legalize its medical use, noting that some foreign pharmaceutical companies are developing cannabis-based therapies to win approvals.Rep. Shin Chang-hyun of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said last month that stringent laws against marijuana have led to some adverse effects in Korea,
Vetter Pharma said it held a successful open house Friday to members of the pharmaceutical industry and related officials following the opening of its Korean branch in November.Vetter Pharma, which is a global contract manufacturing organization (CMO) specializing in prefilled syringes, presented its service portfolio and growth strategy for the Asia-Pacific region and Korea at the open ho
A public-private consultative body will work to reform the drinking culture of Korea where an average of 13 people dies from alcohol-related causes every day, officials said Friday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute said the consultative body, composed of experts from various private and public sectors, will hold its first meeting Friday to discuss dome
The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will distribute a total of 110,000 free condoms to 2,925 athletes who will attend the international sporting event to kick off Feb. 9. That’s about 37 condoms per person.The games to take place in PyeongChang, South Korea will have the biggest athlete turnout for any winter Olympics, and the 110,000 condoms – donated mostly by domestic condom developer Conv