Novartis Korea said that it has affirmed the efficacy of Tasigna, a chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treatment, through the result from its 10 years follow- up of the ENESTnd trial.Clinical results showed that more than eight out of 10 patients treated with Tasigna maintained a major molecular response (MMR), and seven out of 10 patients responded to a deep molecular response (DMR), a pr
Despite disappointing clinical trial failures by major biotech firms, venture capital investment in the biotech and medical sector is likely to hit a record high this year, industry data showed.Compared to a year earlier, this year’s gain may have slowed, but venture capital investment in the biotech industry is expected to surpass 1 trillion won ($858.7 million) in 2019 owing to various attem
CJ Healthcare said that it plans to develop new anticancer drugs jointly with Standigm Inc., a company using artificial intelligence (AI) technology for drug discovery.Under an accord, Standigm will use its AI platform to discover new compound structures for anticancer drugs, and CJ Healthcare will proceed with the synthesis and evaluation of substances based on these structures, to derive c
The combination therapy of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK 4/6) inhibitor and fulvestrant for advanced or metastatic breast cancer is likely to receive insurance coverage in the first half of next year, industry sources said.The government’s push for a revision of the risk-sharing agreement as part of the amendment in drug pricing could accelerate reimbursement of the combo therapy as patient
An international group has opened a new way for healthcare researchers around the world to get anonymous patient records easily and use them in their studies. Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI, pronounced "Odyssey") is behind this move. OHDSI is a non-profit international research organization that analyzes and standardizes medical records around the world as a “common
Dong-A Socio Holdings and Meiji Seika Pharmaceutical said they have started phase 1 clinical trial for DMB-3115 (Ingredient: Ustekinumab), a Stelara biosimilar, in EU.Stelara is a biopharmaceutical developed by Janssen and treats plaque psoriasis in children 12 years and older, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn's disease in adults.The two companies have been developing the drug since 2013 and
Celltrion said it is speeding up efforts to enter into the U.S. market after securing approvals for 11 generic products.According to the company, Celltrion USA has recently licensed in nine generic drugs in addition to two of its own generic drugs -- Temixys and Linezolid. With the newly added drugs, Celltrion USA now has 11 generic drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (
Huons Lab, a subsidiary of Huons, said that it would cooperate in developing and manufacturing human genetic recombinant hyaluronidase with Pangen. Hyaluronidase is a recombinant enzyme protein that breaks down hyaluronic acid (HA) and is used as a drug diffusion agent.With the recent increase in the use of HA fillers for cosmetic purposes and the development of antibody treatments or protein
Stem cell therapy can stop cardiac muscle necrosis caused by myocardial infarction. Still, local patients cannot receive the treatment because the government has yet to list it as a new medical technology, a hospital said.According to Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), a patient had sudden chest pain on Nov. 18 and was transferred from a primary hospital to a tertiary institution. The
Korea has turned its attention toward biosurveillance as a means to strengthen its state quarantine system since it suffered from poor control over epidemics, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) for people, and foot-and-mouth disease for livestock.The term biosurveillance, which was coined by the U.S. government, is an aspect of biodefense relating to the detection of bioterrorism
Korea, China, and Japan decided to enhance cooperation to achieve universal health coverage, prevent infectious diseases, and promote active and healthy aging, the government said. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it held the 12th Tripartite Health Ministers Meeting in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday.With Korea’s proposal, the tripartite meeting began in 2007 to respond to t
The Korean Diabetes Association (KDA) has warned diabetic patients against stopping metformin treatment on their own.The announcement comes after patients' anxiety has increased since the Singapore Health Sciences Agency (HSA) announced that it detected N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a potentially carcinogenic substance, in some drugs containing metformin, a substance used to treat diabetes.
GC said that it has agreed with Add Pharmaceutical to cooperate on developing new synthetic drugs.Under the accord, Add Pharmaceutical will be responsible for developing synthetic drug formulations, such as new chemical entities, incrementally modified and generic drugs, while GC will produce and commercialize the drug after licensing in the technology from Add Pharma.Add Pharmaceutica
Daewoong Pharmaceutical said that it has presented the research results of DWP213388, an autoimmune disease treatment candidate, during the annual conference of 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) held in Orlando, Fla.DWP213388 is an oral therapeutic agent that selectively inhibits interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK) and Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), which are targets for i
Helixmith said it would announce next month the cause of the data error in its global phase-3 trial on Engensis (VM202-DPN), a gene therapy to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).Earlier, the company said the failure resulted from its drug mix-up between the placebo and the treatment.Now, it is also weighing other possibilities, such as technical errors. Helixmith CEO
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that they have installed kiosks at major subway stations in Seoul to provide information on Korean medical services to foreigners.According to KHIDI, the number of foreigners visiting Korea for medical service last year hit the record high after the country started attracting foreign patient
The Ministry of Health and Drug Safety said it has detected risky substances such as vitamin E acetate and flavorings, potentially linked to lung diseases, in some liquid e-cigarettes.The announcement came after the ministry investigated seven critical ingredients in liquid e-cigarettes currently distributed in the local market. The government recommended discontinuing the use of all liquid e-
Curexo, a local medical device company, said that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved CUVIS-spine, a robot-assisted spine surgery device.The device helps conduct spinal screw insertion, and its benefits include conducting accurate surgery within 1 millimeter of error range and can perform both open surgery and minimally invasive surgery as it is compatible with two-dimensiona
GC Labcell has presented the preclinical trial data for new blood cancer treatment that combines its MG4101, a natural killer (NK) cell treatment, and Tafasitamab, a targeted-anticancer treatment developed by MorphoSys.The company made its presentation during the annual conference of 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH).MG4101 is an immune cell therapy that removes cancer cells by usi
Researchers at Severance Hospital have found that laparoscopic surgery is as effective as conventional open surgery for treating cancer in the pancreas head.The team, led by Professor Kang Chang-moo, concluded so after comparing 61 patients with pancreatic cancer who had either undergone laparoscopic pancreas-duodenal resection or open surgery pancreas-duodenal resection.It confirmed t