A three-year-long trial to invalidate the patent for Janssen’s diabetes drug Invokana (ingredient: canaglifozin) came to an end as the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board dismissed it Friday.The patent invalidation claim for the patent titled “Crystallisation process for 1-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-4-methyl-3-[5-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-thienylmethyl] benzene” filed by five domestic pharmaceutic
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Wednesday that it would add Pfizer’s targeted therapy for kidney cancer Inlyta (ingredient: axitinib) to the list of reimbursed drugs starting in July.The ministry listed Inlyta at 10,000 won ($9) for a 1 mg dose and 36,092 won for a 5 ml dose beginning next month. The drug was approved in August 2012 to treat patients with progressive renal cell ca
Herbalife Korea announced Thursday the results of its big data analysis of Korean people’s genetics and lifestyle using the Gene Start service it launched in January.Gene Start, developed jointly with Theragen Etex, provides one-on-one consultation and personalized healthcare guidelines based on genetic analysis. Consumers can buy the service kit at about 70,000 won ($63).The results f
A Korean expert supported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision that a prescription painkiller, previously mired with cardiovascular safety concerns, was as safe as two similar drugs, ibuprofen and naproxen.Hong Seung-jae, a professor at the rheumatology department of Kyung Hee University Medical Center, commented on the recent FDA panel’s vote regarding the cardiovascular safety of
Boryung Biopharma and Eone Diagnomics Genome Center (EDGC) have launched a personal genome analysis service called “The Mom Care” to predict generic risks of various pregnancy-related diseases.The service provides a customized lifestyle guide based on an analysis on the relative risk of 26 types of disease including pregnancy-related diseases, cancer, and metabolic diseases. Boryung said it wo
GC Lab Cell is making headway with developing its Natural Killer (NK) cell-based cancer therapy, buying globally exclusive rights to use a technology developed by Canadian biopharma firm Feldan Therapeutics.GC Lab Cell said Wednesday it purchased exclusive rights to use Feldan Shuttle, a protein-based technology platform that carries proteins and genes into the cell, for applying it to NK cell
Genematrix said Wednesday it obtained a patent for a “Protein REFolding EnhanceR” (PREFER) technology - a key for the mass production of recombinant proteins.Recombinant proteins are used as active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for new protein drugs. Excessive recombinant proteins produced from genetic recombination techniques often convert to insoluble complexes and lose biological activit
The Seoul National University Hospital said its researchers have found not only vision impairment but abnormalities in visual cells in glaucoma patients.While the loss of retinal ganglion cells has been known to occur in patients with glaucoma, abnormality in visual cells that accept light stimuli has not been thought to occur.The research paper by Professors Ha Ah-nul, Kim Young-kook, Jeo
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the World Health Organization Tuesday kicked off the MERS Coronavirus (CoV) Vaccine Development Symposium, for a two-day run at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas Hotel. The symposium is part of the 2018 Global Bio Conference hosted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety from June 26-29."Safe and effective vaccines for humans a
People with schizophrenia have been increasingly getting medical treatment, although the disease has been cast in a negative light due to crimes committed by patients, data shows.A man in his 40s was reportedly arrested Sunday for assaulting a gas station employee in Yeongdeungpo District at around 7 a.m., attacking people at a nearby park, and then assailing a taxi driver with a brick. The ma
Merck Korea celebrated the 350th anniversary of Merck KGaAs at an event in Seoul, reaffirming that the mission of improving human health drives its healthcare division.The German multinational pharmaceutical, chemical and life sciences firm, since its foundation in 1668, has branched out to become one of the oldest science and technology companies worldwide through continuous innovation, s
A new study has shown menopausal women with a mild cognitive impairment may see a slowing of cognitive decline by taking a combination of a gel-type estrogen and oral progesterone.The study suggests the possibility of new hormone therapy in postmenopausal women as the first of its kind to show the practical benefit of hormone therapy for cognitive impairment, researchers said.Professor
Recent research says fine dust is more likely to lead to heart problem and stroke rather than lung disease, adding that nearly 50 percent of fine dust-related deaths result from stroke.The findings by the research team led by Professor Hong Yoon-chul from Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine, will be published in the July edition of Korean Academy of
A domestic research team has found the link between cancer tissue’s size growth and degree of metastasis to other tissues.The research paper, titled “Dishevelled has a YAP nuclear export function in a tumor suppressor context-dependent manner,” was published in Nature Communications.It is generally believed that the rate of cancer spreading to surrounding tissues and lymph nodes is hig
The acceptance rate for the Korean national medical licensing examination stood at 30 percent for those who graduated from foreign medical or dental schools.Rep. Kim Seung-hee of the opposition Liberty Korea Party released the data submitted by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.According to the data, a total of 813
Sanofi Pasteur Korea said Monday that it got an expanded indication from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for its four-strain influenza vaccine VaxigripTetra to be used on infants six months to three years old.The approval allows the vaccine to be used to inoculate infants, children, adolescents, adults, and elderly during the upcoming flu influenza season in September, the company sai
Korean pharmaceuticals such as SK Biopharmaceuticals, CMG Pharmaceutical, and Bukwang Pharm are entering a therapy field long dominated by multinational pharma - drugs for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.According to industry sources, the three pharmaceuticals are pushing to commercialize new drugs or put incrementally modified medications on the market.Schizophrenia is a mental disorde
New research is showing that multidisciplinary care that includes extensive gastrectomy following chemotherapy increases the survival rate for stage 4 progressive gastric cancer patients.Findings from the research, conducted by a team led by Professor Park Jo-hyun and clinical instructor Seo Ho-suk from the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, was published in the Inter
Since 2016, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has become a buzzword in Korea with experts remaining divided over whether or not the revolution is in full swing, particularly concerning the use of Big Data.According to Lee Myong-hwa, director of National R&D Analysis at the Science and Technology Policy Institute and healthcare special subcommittee member on the Presidential Committee on the
Shire Korea said Thursday it has launched Firazyr prefilled syringe (ingredient: Icatibant) in the domestic market to treat acute attacks of hereditary angioedema in adults with C1-esterase-inhibitor deficiency.Hereditary angioedema is characterized by recurrent episodes of severe swelling that commonly affects the arms, legs, face, intestinal tract, and airway. The condition occurs in 1 o