South Korea

BIOSECURE Nudges Celltrion’s Jump Into CDMO Business

 
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Celltrion Group chairman outlines new plans for the Korean biosimilars giant to move into the CDMO sector and updates on new drug development activities.

Innovation Rewards, Regulatory Ecosystem Key To Korea Competitiveness - AZ Execs

 
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AstraZeneca execs talk about the challenges South Korea faces in becoming a more attractive market for investment by global pharma firms and its significance as a site for clinical trials.

Korea Q3 Results Roundup: Lazertinib Boosts Yuhan, Hanmi Dispute Simmers

 
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Yuhan eyes successors to lazertinib after US approval, leadership dispute at Hanmi drags on and SK Bioscience completes CDMO acquisition.

Lazertinib’s US Approval A Catalyst For Oscotec’s Growth

 
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Oscotec co-CEO Taeyoung Yoon highlights anti-resistance and anti-tau therapies as the Korean bioventure’s next possible blockbuster candidates after the landmark US approval of lazertinib for lung cancer.


Pickup In Korea Biopharma IPO Activity Signals Improving Investor Sentiment

 
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Following strong demand for offerings by D&D Pharmatech and ENCell, sentiment around biopharma IPOs in Korea appears to be improving, with several other ventures planning to float.

ADCs, New Modalities High On Korea State Fund’s Priorities

 
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While oncology and discovery-stage assets accounted for the majority of R&D projects supported by a Korean state fund this year, new modalities such as ADCs and TPDs are emerging.

Q3 Korean Biotech Roundup: Eyes On Orum's IPO Plan

 
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Recent major developments in the Korean biotech sector include Orum Therapeutics’ IPO plan and HLB’s US resubmission for the approval of rivoceranib in combination with camrelizumab for first-line liver cancer.

BioCentriq CEO On Next Phase Of Growth With GC Support

 
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In a video interview with Scrip, Syed Husain, CEO of the US-based cell therapy CDMO BioCentriq, talks about the company’s role in parent GC’s growth strategy and business priorities, the cell and gene therapy manufacturing market and his views on the US BIOSECURE Act.


Emerging Modalities Stand Out In Recovering Korean Deal Market

 
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While Korean biopharma companies’ out-licensing deals have remained lackluster in the past couple of years, activity around emerging modalities, led by ADCs, have been increasing in line with global trends.

Korean Biopharma Financings Remain In Doldrums But Recovery In Sight?

 
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As investor sentiment around Korean biopharma IPOs and financings remained tepid in the second quarter, companies turned to other ways of raising money, including rights offerings. But there are signs of recovery and upcoming catalysts, while on the M&A front Boryung divested a vaccine subsidiary to a private equity consortium. 

Korea Q2 Roundup: Hanmi Dispute Simmers, Emerging Obesity Focus

 
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As it reported mixed second-quarter earnings, South Korea's pharma industry is increasingly turning to obesity pipeline assets. Meanwhile, leadership disputes among family members within Hanmi are resurfacing.

S.Biomedics’ Parkinson's Cell Therapy Shows Early Clinical Promise

 
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A novel stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease developed by a Korean firm has shown what Citeline analysts describe as "very promising" early clinical results at a low dose after one year.


SK Biopharm Moves Into Radiopharma Via $572m Full-Life Deal

 
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After acquiring a majority stake in ProteoVant last year, South Korea's SK Biopharm is continuing to hunt for new modalities and is now moving into the hot radiotherapeutics area through a deal with Full-Life Technologies.

Q2 Korean Biotech Roundup: Partners Return Multiple Assets

 
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The second quarter in South Korea was marked by the return of several assets by licensing partners, including Thea Open Innovation, which gave back rights to two ophthalmic programs in-licensed from OliX. Merck & Co. also cancelled a co-research deal with Artiva Biotherapeutics.

VC-Led Biotech Model Systemically Difficult To Adopt In Korea

 
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A research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute talked at a recent seminar about the key funding, management and other challenges faced by the domestic biotech sector to sustain growth, and how these contrast with the situation in the US.

SK pharmteco Focusing On BAU Amid BIO 'Buzz', BIOSECURE

 
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SK pharmteco CEO Joerg Ahlgrimm talks to Scrip about the "excitement" at BIO, potential CDMO shifts amid the US BIOSECURE Act, and the Korean CDMO's focus on business as usual as it seeks to diversify and grow.


Bukwang Adds To Stacking Mid-Stage Failures In Parkinson's

 

Bukwang and subsidiary Contera have become the latest to fail to progress a novel Parkinson's therapy to late-stage trials after a Phase II miss, although several other Korean firms remain in the race for the challenging indication, albeit mainly in Phase I-II.

Korea Looks To Close Gap In AI Drug Development Capabilities

 
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Syntekabio CSO HeaKyoung Cho talks to Scrip how the AI-driven drug development situation in Korea compares with global trends and what the domestic industry needs to do to survive rising competition at home and abroad.

Glitch For HLB/Hengrui’s Liver Cancer Combo After US CRL

 
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The US approval of HLB and Hengrui’s liver cancer combination therapy looks set to be delayed after the FDA issues a CRL related mainly to CMC data, but the two companies appear positive on a quick resolution to the setback given a lack of other efficacy or safety concerns.

Korea Q1 Roundup: Pharma Begins To Feel Impact From Doctors’ Walkout

 
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As South Korea's doctors continue their long-running protest against a government plan to raise the medical student quota at universities, the walk-outs may be beginning to take a toll on the pharma industry, with many large firms reporting weak earnings in the last quarter.