ULikeKorea on Thursday announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Sumitomo Corporation Korea to develop a health care tracker chip for pets in Japan. While existing microchip implants for dogs and cats reveal their identification serial numbers and can be used to trace lost animals back to their families, the proposed new product could enable real-time monitoring of an animal’s body temperature and activity levels through a mobile application. With this information, p

Exactly a week after the year’s biggest global investor relations event JP Morgan Healthcare Conference wrapped up on Jan. 14, Korean biotech firms were still more than eager to pitch their businesses to the US investors in a spin-off event, held virtually on Thursday. There were several key takeaways from the event’s panel talk comprising members from US law firm Sidley Austin, US venture capital firm Novatio and a couple of Korean biotech firms who have made exemplary forays into

South Korea may be able to secure additional vaccines for 20 million people from US drugmaker Novavax, President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday. The deal is still under negotiation, Moon said, while earlier Korean media reports suggested only being able to cover 10 million people. Earlier on this day, Moon had a virtual meeting with Novavax’ CEO Stanley Erck, during which they held an amicable discussion regarding the latter’s probable technology license issuance to SK Bioscience this

Drug maker GC Pharma will apply to expedite the use of its plasma-derived COVID-19 treatment in April in Korea, the company said on Wednesday. The plasma therapy, GC5131A, which uses donated blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, targets those infected who display serious symptoms. In the previous year, the company had said on multiple occasions that it anticipates to release the drug in the market within the first quarter of 2021. The company only wrapped up administration of the the

Boryung Pharmaceutical announced it had begun full-fledged use of its Yesan plant and more emphasis on anti-cancer products. Boryung announced Tuesday that it had been producing plasma cell myeloma treatment Velkin from end-December at the Yesan plant, and is soon to send the bulk out to the market. Once the company gains EU good manufacturing practices certification, which the company is preparing to apply for this year, Boryung’s anti-cancer products will make their way to the global

As eyes turn toward the imminent start of COVID-19 inoculations, CJ Logistics has emerged as a candidate for vaccine distribution. CJ Logistics had been considered at a disadvantage, as it does not have an ultra-cold-chain storage like Korea SuperFreeze in Pyeongtaek. But recent reports have suggested it may still be in the running, as it has the widest network of distribution centers and vehicles. A company official who spoke to The Korea Herald said CJ would be able to handle vaccines as th

Celltrion’s proposed COVID-19 treatment has won an OK in the first of the three-leg review by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the agency said Monday. The Korean drugmaker last week sought conditional use approval for its anti-COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment candidate regdanvimab, or CT-P59, becoming the first local firm to reach that stage in the race for a COVID-19 cure. A panel of experts, comprising eight outside experts and four from the ministry, advised that the auth

Hanmi Pharmaceutical on Monday said it has enough production capacity to contract manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. “Hanmi Pharmaceutical has various capabilities and facilities where we can produce nucleic acid vaccines as a contract manufacturing/development organization,” said CEO Kwon Se-chang. 　 “We are open to potential collaboration with various companies to contribute to ending the global pandemic.” Among others, the executive pointed to its newly built Bio Plant

The title for Korea’s 31st homegrown novel drug goes to Yuhan’s lung cancer treatment, Leclaza. On Monday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced its approval for the third-generation non-small cell lung cancer treatment, bringing relief to some 100,000 lung cancer patients in the country. Leclaza is a swallowable tablet that can be taken at a fixed time every day, regardless of meals. In clinical trials, the drug has shown an overall response rate of 58 percent and a pro

“Health is not about something that is in hospital. In fact, it is something that could be addressed earlier. One‘s health has much to do with lifestyle choices,” said Deeptha Khanna, head of personal health at multinational health care solution provider Royal Philips, in an interview with The Korea Herald. Presenting at this year’s CES 2021, Philips' personal health products and solutions put an emphasis on prevention, connectedness and a safe home -- especially in bath

LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation are yet again butting heads, this time over freshly launched inter partes review they both filed against each other at the US Patent and Trademark Office.  An inter partes review is a trial proceeding conducted at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the US Patent and Trademark Office. The IPR looks at the patentability of a matter brought to attention. The patent dispute is one of the many legal fights the two Korean rivals are embroiled in. The

Bid adieu to panicky moments of lost keys or pets. Samsung Electronics‘s SmartTag technology, enabling users to locate what’s precious and dear to them, began generating buzz around the tech sphere Friday, a day after the Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event. The SmartTag is a corporeal electronic tag that can be attached to a leash or a key chain. Powered by Samsung Electronics’ SmartThings Find technology, Galaxy users can conveniently track tagged objects. Samsung suggests putting t

One company after another, South Korea’s homegrown biopharmaceuticals are nearing emergency use approval for their proposed COVID-19 treatments. A day after Celltrion reported positive top-line data from its antibody drug regdanvimab, or CT-P59, another local drugmaker, Chong Kun Dang, presented promising results on Thursday from its own drug, nafamostat, from a clinical phase 2 trial. Tested on over 100 people in Russia, 36 of them high-risk patients, nafamostat showed 61.1 percent cl

Samsung Biologics’ newly appointed CEO John Rim presented a multidimensional vision for the company’s next 10 years at the virtual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2021 on Wednesday. Key takeaways from Rim’s presentation involved more overseas facilities, early contract lock-ins for its fourth production base, which will complete construction in 2023, and capacity for new modalities such as vaccine and cell-gene therapies. “Our next decade will be marked by increased bu

A coronavirus antibody treatment under development by local drugmaker Celltrion has shown a clinical improvement rate of 54 percent among mild and moderate COVID-19 cases, the company announced Wednesday. The immediate reaction from the industry was that a 54 percent improvement rate is too low to be considered a treatment. However, antibody treatments are meant to only alleviate, not cure, some were quick to add. Celltrion's treatment will require early detection of an infection. If found ea

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines may arrive here in the coming weeks, as President Moon Jae-in on Monday announced the launch in February of the nationwide vaccination campaign. When it comes to the jab itself, South Korea says it has secured more than enough vaccine to inoculate its 51.6 million population. The question now is whether the country can handle all the logistical challenges required to take vaccines from the factory floor to patients’ arms. To administer the shots as q

Taking place amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating progress for vaccine distribution, the 39th annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference was all about mRNA vaccine developers and interested investors. At the event, which kicked off virtually for the first time in 2021 on Monday, multiple pharmaceutical firms including the recently newsworthy BioNTech and Moderna presented their yearly business blueprints. South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical also took part, proposing its newest b

LG Display will push to ship 7 million to 8 million units of its organic light-emitting diode TV panels this year, aiming to catapult OLEDs into the mainstream global TV market. The Korean display firm on Monday showcased an upgraded OLED technology with a broader panel size spectrum for the Consumer Electronics Show 2021. The company’s high-end OLED panels feature newly developed diodes that emit 20 percent brighter light than previous OLED models. The new technology will first be appl

Samsung SDI is charting a hard course to ward off battery defects, holding a symbolic ceremony to put an end to faulty small lithium-ion batteries. According to a source familiar with the matter, the South Korean battery producer will hold an internal ceremony this week at its facility in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, under the resolute will of CEO Jun Young-hyun to eradicate any lax attitude toward potential fire hazards stemming from faulty batteries. Included will be a kind of vow by

  At Garden of Morning Calm, an arboretum in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, once the trees shed their leaves and their botanical splendor fades, bright lights fill the conservatory for the “Starlight Garden Festival.”  Every year between December and March, ecofriendly light-emitting diode bulbs are placed throughout the 330,000 square-meter garden using the trees as a canvas.   The result is a massive garden lit with fluorescent colors, with giant illuminated sculptures