Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Hanall Biopharma said they have invested $1 million in Alloplex Biotherapeutics, a U.S. new drug developer, to find new immunotherapy agents.The two companies plan to engage in mid- to long-term cooperation to develop Alloplex's immunotherapy treatment. Alloplex is a bio
The government recently announced a strategy to open healthcare data and innovate AI-backed medicine, and the medical community and related industries hailed the move.In early June, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it would help secure data-based bio-health competitiveness and promote medical
The Seoul National University Hospital said Wednesday that sleep apnea patients need to consider conducting self-checks of their conditions at home amid the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic.“In Covid-19, people are hesitant to take polysomnography (PSG) that makes patients sleep outside the home to monit
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it has found 2-chloroethanol (2-CE) in some packets and raw ingredients of two Korean instant noodle brands exported to Europe, which were insufficient to cause any harm.The ministry added that ethylene oxide (EO), a carcinogen, was not detected in the two i
Samsung Biologics denied speculations by an analyst that it may expand its business to new drug development through an open innovation method.Kim Hyeong-soo, an analyst at Hanwha Investment & Securities, predicted in a report Wednesday that Samsung Biologics' investment of 49.5 billion won ($42.3 mi
North Korea has conducted Covid-19 tests on about 36,000 people but reported no confirmed cases so far, the World Health Organization said Wednesday in its COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report.According to the report, 35,947 North Koreans underwent the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT
Anymedi Solution said its patient-customized surgical device that guides the resection plan during breast-conserving surgery has won innovative medical technology designation from the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaboration Agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The company’s breas
The negotiations on retrieving the reimbursement of pharmaceutical pricing for choline alfoscerate drugs to help treat dementia between the state health insurance agency and pharmaceutical companies have been concluded except for some drugmakers.After lengthy bargaining, the National Health Insuranc
Genexine is soon to conduct a phase 2/3 trial of Covid-19 vaccine candidate GX-19N in Indonesia but has yet to register the study on ClinicalTrials.gov, a registry of global clinical trials. The company obtained Indonesian approval for the study in early July.The South Korean biotech company said th
Korean officials failed to receive a definite answer on the supply amount and timing of Moderna vaccines in a recent U.S. meeting, repeating their request to supply vaccines manufactured by Samsung Biologics to Korea first.The government has continued to send such requests to Moderna since June to l
The medical community criticized the government for inconsistent Covid-19 vaccination policy, particularly after the authorities reversed the previous position and allowed younger people to get AstraZeneca’s shots.On Tuesday, the Korean Medical Association’s Covid-19 response committee released a st
Minority shareholders of Bukwang Pharmaceutical may have had too much expectation for a Covid-19 treatment candidate that their promotion of the drug candidate went overboard.Differences in position between the company and minority shareholders over the promotion of Levovir (ingredient: clevudine) h
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients suffering from skin stiffening and organ disfunction should guard against the occurrence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis in case they had found ANCAs through previous checks, researchers said Tuesday.Professor Lee Sang-won and Doc
As the government has gradually increased reimbursement for combination drugs treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), patients’ hopes are growing for more diverse treatment options.CLL is a blood cancer that occurs when lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, grow and turn into cancer and inte
Korea’s import of pharmaceutical products approached 1 trillion won in July, hitting a record-high level.According to the Korea Customs Service, drug imports totaled about 960 billion won ($819.5 million), up 25 percent from $657.9 million in the same month of last year.Industry watchers attributed
The Covid-19 pandemic has been resurging since last month. As the number of confirmed cases increased sharply, the planned easing of social distancing has been shelved. Moreover, the Delta variant has become the most dominant strain in Korea (Fig. 1).However, unlike the past three viral waves, the n
Scioto Biosciences, a subsidiary of immuno-oncology firm Genome & Company, said it has completed the first administering of SB-121, a microbiome treatment for autism, on patients in the United States.“We moved a step forward to developing the first-in-class drug for autism treatment,” Genome & Compa
The G20 High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP) has called for expanding investment into global public goods to get over the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.“Member governments should invest more into disease surveillance, research networks, and expanding supplies to countries’ health and medical s
The government said Tuesday that Moderna has promised to speed up the planned shipments of the Covid-19 vaccine for August and September to make up for the recent supply cut.The U.S. vaccine maker made the promises during a recent meeting with the Korean delegation led by Vice Minister of Health and
Korean companies are actively studying how to use mRNA technology not only to fight Covid-19 but to treat cancer.In other countries, researchers are conducting clinical trials of a combination of mRNA vaccine and immunotherapy. Moderna teamed up with Merck, and CureVac/BioN Tech with Roche/Genetech,