Roche Korea said it has received the Minister of Health and Welfare Award at the “2025 Biohealth Global Open Innovation Week,” which recognizes organizations that have contributed to strengthening Korea’s open innovation ecosystem in the biohealth sector.

The ministry acknowledged the company’s contributions to KOSMOS II, a flagship public precision medicine research initiative.

KOSMOS II aims to build a clinical genome database for 1,000 patients with advanced solid tumors as part of Korea’s precision oncology network. By integrating the expertise and technical capabilities of government agencies, clinicians, researchers, and industry partners, the initiative is expanding access to personalized therapies for patients who lack effective treatment options. The program is also expected to play a major role in future health-policy development and new drug research by building a public clinical–genomic database based on accumulated patient data.

Participants, including major Korean and multinational companies, hold quarterly meetings to share progress and resolve emerging challenges in real time.

Roche Korea has played a key role by establishing a rapid drug-supply pathway for research, supporting diagnostic accuracy through testing and reporting tools, enabling efficient multidisciplinary tumor board operations, and contributing to data standardization networks. These efforts have strengthened several core components of Korea’s precision medicine infrastructure.

Roche Korea CEO Ezat Azem said the company was honored to receive recognition from the health ministry, noting that the KOSMOS II collaboration has been a meaningful opportunity for the company to contribute to Korea’s precision medicine ecosystem.

“We are grateful to the Ministry of Health and Welfare for this recognition,” Azem said. “Working together with the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO), the Korean Cancer Study Group, and the National Cancer Center (NCC) on the KOSMOS II program has been a privilege, and we are encouraged by the possibility of bringing hope to patients who currently have no treatment alternatives.”

Roche Korea will continue to deepen scientific partnerships across sectors, and the company aims to contribute practical healthcare solutions that improve the quality of care throughout the Korean health system, Azem added.