AstraZeneca and SK Holdings said they have reached an important milestone in their manufacturing partnership, providing medicines to three million diabetic patients in 98 countries since the two entered into the contract in January 2018.The partnership has helped SK Holdings to enter the global biopharmaceutical manufacturing market and contributed to the growth of AstraZeneca. The collabo
The government said it has allowed four companies, including Theragen Etex and Eone Diagnomics Genome Center (EDGC), to provide up to 56 direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services.The presidential National Bioethics Committee decided so at a meeting on Wednesday to review the result of the pilot project for the DTC genetic testing service certification system and discuss measures to enh
Researchers at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital have published a study on the effectiveness of beta-blockers, a cardioprotective drug that is recommended for patients with myocardial infarction.The team, led by Professors Yoon Chang-hwan and Park Jin-joo at the hospital, analyzed 2,271 patients with acute myocardial infarction from June 2003 to February 2015.The researchers d
QuantaMatrix, an in-vitro microbial diagnostic solution developer, has passed the Korea Exchange’s technology evaluation to go public on the Kosdaq market. The company is aiming to be listed under the financial regulator’s “technology exception policy.”The diagnostics company said Wednesday it passed the technology review after receiving A-rating from both Korea Technology Finance Corporation
Macrogen said that it would cooperate with Thermo Fisher Scientific to expand the capillary electrophoresis sequencing (CES) service in the global market.The two companies will establish strategic partnerships to expand the overseas market of CES services through gene analysis, certification and development of reagent authenticity, technical support for equipment and related facilities, an
Daewoong Pharmaceutical said that it has received sales approval for its botulinum toxin (BTX) product for treating forehead wrinkles, Nabota, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesian Ministry of Health."Nabota is the first locally developed BTX to obtain product licenses in the UAE and Indonesia, and further solidified its position in the Middle East and Asia following its appro
Preventing and treating migraines by blocking calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has become ever more significant, an expert said.Kim Byung-kun, a professor of the Neurology Department at Nowon Eulji Medical Center, explained the pathophysiology of migraines and clinical implications of the emergence of preventive treatments targeting CGRP, at a symposium to launch Lilly’s migraine dru
Korea Biomedical Review publishes the contribution from Peter Soelkner, managing director of Vetter Pharma International GmbH. —Ed. When road conditions change, it is important to check your roadmap if you want to successfully reach your destination. Due to a rapidly changing global healthcare landscape, various developments are affecting the way in which companies are navigating their jou
Crystal Genomics said that it has acquired Hwail Pharmaceutical as its subsidiary after obtaining additional shares through a third-party allotment.A third-party allotment is a method of offering shares in a joint-stock company under which the board of directors determines the parties to whom the newly authorized shares will be allotted.Under the method, Crystal will acquire about 2.28 mil
The news that Koh Won-jung, a professor of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Samsung Medical Center, took his own life saddened the medical community in the summer this year. People lamented that “the star of the Korean medical community has fallen.” Koh not only made great achievements but drew much anticipation for his future research outcomes. Physicians said it was ha
Psomagen and Macrogen said that they have acquired uBiome's 246 microbiome patents and 300,000 microbiome data. The consortium of the two companies has also attained most of uBiome's assets, including its laboratory in San Francisco, LA.uBiome is a leading microbiome company based in the U.S. and is known for having unique market competitiveness, especially in the microbiome's 16S ribosomal ri
Small and mid-size domestic companies are rushing to develop botulinum toxin products, and four of them won approvals to conduct clinical trials for new anti-wrinkle treatments this year.Ini Bio said Tuesday the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety gave the go-ahead to phase-1/2 trial on its botulinum toxin, INI-101. The study will compare the safety and efficacy of INI101 and botox strains in im
A team of researchers at the National Cancer Center has proved through big data that digital mammography for breast cancer is the most accurate screening method.The team, led by Professors Hong Se-ri and Jun Jae-kwan at the hospital, reached the conclusion after analyzing the data from eight million women who were screened for breast cancer under the national cancer screening plan. The nat
Researchers at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) have confirmed that the prevalence of familial prostate cancer in Korea was 8.4 percent, which was similar to that of Western countries.In the West, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and has a high incidence. Recently, the incidence of prostate cancer has also increased rapidly in Korea. According to the na
Korea is expected to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) use for pharmaceutical and medical purposes such as new drug development and medical data use in hospitals, under the government’s national strategy.The Ministry of Science and ICT announced the “AI National Strategy” at a cabinet meeting, presided over by President Moon Jae-in, on Tuesday.According to the strategy, Korea will pu
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that it has signed multiple agreements with its counterparts in the EU to strengthen cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector.For instance, the ministry signed a mutual trust agreement for the pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice (GMP) sector with Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic), while signing a memorandum of understanding to e
A research team at Myongji Hospital has found that patients with anemia are at higher risk of developing cognitive decline, which can lead to dementia. The team stressed that elderly patients with anemia are more likely to develop dementia.The researchers, led by Professor Kim Hong-bae at the hospital, came to such a conclusion after investigating the relationship between anemia and cognit
Healcerion said that it is about to become the first local imaging medical device company to enter the U.S. defense market.According to the company, Healcerion introduced the world's first portable smart ultrasound diagnostics through its partner Biodigit at the Association of the United States Army 2019 conference, the world's largest defense expo, in October, drawing the attention of def
Roche Korea’s Xofluza is a new influenza treatment, a first-in-class, single-dose oral medicine with a novel mechanism of action designed to target influenza A and B viruses, the company said Tuesday.The antiviral, which arrived in Korea for the first time in 20 years, is an antiviral with a new mechanism that inhibits polymerase acidic endonuclease, an enzyme essential for viral replication a
To prevent the domestic medical device sector from collapsing, the government should first prepare a legal and institutional measure to promote the use of local products, an expert said.Officials from local medical devices makers held a policy debate for broader use of domestic medical devices at the National Assembly on Tuesday. The participants emphasized that they could expand their busines