The government decided Friday to ease part of the social distancing rules amid the steep rise of Covid-19 infections due to the Omicron variant’s rapid spread, triggering criticisms that it “made the worst move.”Critics said that when the daily virus cases are surging, relaxing restrictions will lea
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) updated adjuvant therapy guidelines in early lung cancer in five years, strongly recommending AstraZeneca’s EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Tagrisso (ingredient: osimertinib).On Tuesday, ASCO renewed the 2017 guideline on systemic adjuvant and ra
As an increasing number of medical workers get infected by Covid-19 amid the Omicron variant’s rapid spread, concerns are mounting among some medical residents over whether infected doctors will have to treat patients without quarantine.The Ministry of Health and Welfare hurriedly put the matter to
A global blockbuster drug refers to a pharmaceutical product that sells for over $10 billion worldwide. Although Korean drug companies received FDA approval for 23 medicines between 2003 and 2021, no company could make their products become a global blockbuster drug.In 2022, four Korean pharmaceutic
Yuhan Corp. recorded sluggish 2021 earnings, but the performance was rather a success given the base effect from licensing fee profits in 2020, analysts at investment banks said.On Wednesday, Yuhan posted a public filing as its sales and profit structures changed more than 30 percent. According to t
Quarantine officials’ concerns are continuing to grow over which to prioritize between quarantine controls and supports for self-employed people.On Thursday, the government held a video conference of the Covid-19 Daily Life Recovery Support Committee composed of economic, social, self-autonomic, and
DeepCardio said it successfully attracted 40 billion won ($33.4 million) Series A funding from SoftBank and Dayli Partners, which recognized the clinical value of its research technology.DeepCardio is a venture startup founded in November 2020 jointly by Inha University Hospital Cardiology Professor
Opdivo (nivolumab), anti-PD-1 immunotherapy co-developed by Ono Pharmaceutical and BMS, added five indications for esophageal/gastroesophageal junction cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, renal cell cancer, and lung cancer in Korea.On Monday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety granted addit
The spread of the seasonal flu virus has shown a hiatus over the past two years, as people wear face masks and maintain social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.However, suppose the government eases these restrictions from the second half of this year. In that case, the novel coronavirus may c
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) said the Ministry of Health and Welfare had been named it to operate “2022 Global Bio-Intensive Training Courses,” a Korean government program.IVI will provide workforce training in vaccine and biologics R&D and manufacturing for people from low- and middle-
With the presidential election less than three weeks away, various health- and medicine-related groups, such as doctors, nurses, nursing aides, and patients, declared their support to major candidates.On Tuesday, 309 doctors from South Gyeongsang Provincial Medical Association voiced their support f
Korean pharmaceutical and biotech companies are introducing a new standard for a compliance management system, ISO 37301, to enhance internal monitoring and prepare for ethical management of ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance).Their move came mainly after the embezzlement case earl
Kukje Pharma said Thursday it rolled out Kukje Hyal Inj. (ingredient: sodium hyaluronate), treatment for knee arthritis and frozen shoulder.The treatment comes in a pre-filled syringe, administered to the intra-knee joint or shoulder joint for five consecutive weeks.The company said the product has
The government will “not obligate but encourage” students to undergo Covid-19 tests for in-person classes, its top education policymaker said.Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye said so while revealing the ministry’s plan to provide 60.5 million self-test kits to kindergartners and students and teachers
Korea’s new virus cases rose steeply to break the 90,000 mark for the first time on Wednesday, triggering heated debate over the government’s decision to ease social distancing curbs later this week.The country reported 90,443 new Covid-19 infections, including 90,281 local cases, raising the total
Pfizer, which dominated the global pneumococcal vaccine market with 13-valent Prevnar 13, said it won approval for a 20-valent vaccine in Europe.On Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency authorized the use of Apexxnar (brand name in the U.S.: Prevnar 20) for immunization and prevention of invasive d
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety authorized two more Covid-19 self-test kits, bringing the total number of home test kits to eight in Korea.On Tuesday, the MFDS said it granted the permit to Median Diagnostics’ MDx COVID-19 Ag Home Test and Osang Healthcare’s GeneFinder COVID-19 Ag Self Test.The
Janssen’s Rybrevant (ingredient: amivantamab) obtained marketing approval for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations in Korea.On Tuesday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approved Rybrevant to treat pati
The Omicron wave will likely reach a tipping point in the first week of March, when the number of daily infections could rise up to 250,000.Jung Jae-hun, a professor of preventive medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine, made the forecast appearing on a live broadcast on Tuesday. The live
Daewoong Pharmaceutical posted a record-high revenue in 2021 on the back of botulinum toxin export to the U.S. and a licensing-out deal over the nation’s 34th drug Fexuclue Tab. (fexuprazan hydrochloride), a treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). As a result, operating income jumped 4