■Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 2nd that it has obtained health insurance coverage for domestic No. 34 new drug 'Fexuclu (ingredient name: Fexuprazan hydrochloride)' for gastritis and has officially launched the 10 mg dosage product. The company explained that this expansion of coverage will provide rapid and effective treatment options at 30% of the expense for approximately 5 million gastritis patients annually. Fexuclu is a next-generation gastrointestinal disease treatment in the P-CAB (potassium-competitive acid blocker) class, improving on the limitations of existing PPI (proton pump inhibitor) formulations. The acid secretion suppression effect appears quickly, helping with symptom relief from the beginning of treatment, and can be taken regardless of meal times. Its efficacy is expected to be maintained stably for a long time, requiring only once-daily dosing.
■ABL Bio noted on the 2nd that its U.S. partner, Compass Therapeutics, has met primary endpoint criteria in the clinical trials of ABL001 (ingredient name: Tovetisimi) for patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma. This clinical trial compares the safety and efficacy of a combination therapy using Tovetisimi and paclitaxel to the paclitaxel monotherapy. The primary endpoint is the objective response rate (ORR), which is the percentage of patients demonstrating an objective response, such as tumor size reduction. In a clinical trial involving 168 adult patients, the Tovetisimi-paclitaxel combination therapy showed an ORR of 17.1%, including one complete response (CR) where all cancer cells disappeared, surpassing the 5.3% seen in paclitaxel monotherapy.
■Oncologic Therapeutics announced on the 2nd that it has successfully completed clinical trials proving the bioequivalence of Orally Disintegrating Tablets of Zacuvo (ingredient name: Zastaprazan). If Oncologic Therapeutics obtains approval, it will become the second company in the world to have an orally disintegrating formulation among P-CAB new drugs. Orally disintegrating tablets can be taken without water, making them a more convenient option for patients who struggle to swallow pills and for those needing to take medication urgently while on the go.
■HUGEL announced on the 2nd that it has launched 'HUGEL Mall,' an official online platform for medical professionals to quickly and conveniently purchase its diverse aesthetic products. HUGEL Mall operates as a closed online store for licensed physicians, requiring thorough identity verification for membership. Membership requires verification of the physician's license number, business registration number, and submission of a copy of the business registration certificate. Through HUGEL Mall, HUGEL plans to enhance the convenience for medical professionals in purchasing products. It offers representative aesthetic products such as the botulinum toxin 'Botulax', HA filler brands 'The Chaeum', and 'Bireason'.
■D&D Pharmatech announced on the 2nd that it has decided on the registration of its patent for the MASH (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis) treatment 'DD01' in Australia. DD01 is a long-acting GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist developed in-house by D&D Pharmatech. It was designated as a fast-track drug for MASH treatment by the U.S. FDA in March of last year and is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in the U.S. The company explained that the patent registration for DD01 in Australia is the first case of overseas registration after the initial application in Korea in 2019.
■JW Pharmaceutical announced on the 2nd that it has been selected as the '2025 Outstanding Company in Job Invention Compensation' by the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Korea Invention Promotion Association. The Outstanding Company in Job Invention Compensation certification system is designed to encourage corporate job invention systems and enhance fair compensation systems for inventors, thereby facilitating technological development within companies. Certified companies receive priority review for patents, utility models, and designs, along with additional reductions in registration fees. They are also eligible for welfare incentives such as points for government-supported programs and discounts on SGI Seoul Guarantee insurance premiums, along with increased guarantee limits. The certificate duration for JW Pharmaceutical as an Outstanding Company in Job Invention Compensation lasts for three years, from March 20, 2025.
■GC Genome announced on the 2nd that it has published research results related to an 'AI-based liquid biopsy data algorithm for lung cancer detection' in the international journal 'Cancer Research.' GC Genome has developed an algorithm to detect lung cancer by analyzing cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the blood. By utilizing 'fragment end size (FEMS)' technology and deep learning algorithms, it has significantly improved the accuracy of early lung cancer detection. Notably, the FEMS technology recorded a sensitivity of 91% for early lung cancer detection, outperforming existing genomic analysis methods. Using data from 2,777 individuals, the researchers assessed the performance in Korean verification groups (1,247 individuals) and Caucasian verification groups (100 individuals), achieving sensitivity rates of 95.5% and 94.0%, and specificity rates of 83.8% and 84.0%, respectively.
■PharmaResearch announced on the 2nd that it has started domestic sales of its botulinum toxin (botox) product 'Rientok® 100 units (Clostridium botulinum toxin type A).' Rientok® 100 units is manufactured by PharmaResearch's toxin division subsidiary, PharmaResearch Bio, and has obtained product approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in February of last year, acknowledging its temporary effect in improving moderate to severe glabellar lines.
■InnoBio announced on the 2nd that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for its botulinum toxin product 'Inibozu 100 units (INI101)' to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China. If approved, INI101 will become the seventh botulinum toxin product officially launched in China. The NDA documents include results from evaluations of the safety and efficacy of INI101 in improving moderate to severe glabellar lines among adults conducted in China, along with manufacturing process approval documents. To enter the Chinese market, the company signed a total distribution agreement worth $370 million (460 billion won) with a Chinese partner in 2022. This company operates specialized cosmetic surgery chain hospitals and an online beauty medical platform in China.
■The National New Drug Development Institute announced on the 2nd that it will hold the '2025 Young BD Workshop' on the 2nd and 3rd in Seoul's Yangjae L Tower to help train business development (BD) personnel. The Young BD Workshop is aimed at business development officers with 1-5 years of experience, seeking to enhance the capabilities of young BD personnel for successful new drug development and technology transfer. This year, 60 selected 'Young BDs' from sponsoring research and development organizations and BD officers from pharmaceutical and bio companies will participate and receive intensive training for two days. The training program will involve Pharma Ventures, a global transaction advisory firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
■Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital announced on the 2nd that it has adopted a KakaoTalk-based appointment service called 'Karechat.' 'Karechat' is a chatbot service that allows patients to make appointments through the KakaoTalk channel instead of via the hospital's website, app, or call center. Without needing to install a separate app, anyone can easily make appointments, have someone else book appointments for them, change or cancel appointments, and check appointment details by searching for 'Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital' in the KakaoTalk search bar and adding the channel.
■The AI-based digital pathology solution company Deep Bio announced on the 2nd that it will present the latest research results related to AI-based cancer diagnosis and biomarker quantification at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in April. This presentation will feature three studies, including quantitative analysis of immune histochemistry-stained images of PD-L1, an immune-suppressive protein, and c-MET, a receptor protein related to cell proliferation and metastasis, as well as AI-based diagnostics of breast lymph node frozen section pathology images.
■Catholic Central Medical Center announced on the 2nd that it has donated 10 million won to assist victims of the forest fire. This donation is part of its corporate social responsibility efforts to help those who lost their homes due to an unexpected disaster return to their daily lives as quickly as possible. The Catholic Central Medical Center intends to deliver the donations through the Diocese of Andong and has promised to provide additional support depending on the recovery situation in the affected areas.
■Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 2nd that Lee Eun-je, the director of the Department of Administrative Affairs 2, has been inaugurated as the 15th new president of the University Hospitals Association under the Korean Hospital Administrators Association. President Lee will serve a two-year term until February 28, 2027, and will also hold the position of vice president of the Korean Hospital Administrators Association. The Korean Hospital Administrators Association, founded in 1985, aims to enhance public health and promote the development of the healthcare industry through the capacity development of hospital administration experts.
■Korea University Medical Center announced on the 2nd that it has adopted ClinicalKey AI, a leading medical AI decision support tool developed by Elsevier. Korea University Medical Center plans to enhance patient-customized care and high-quality research and education strategies by introducing ClinicalKey AI, which provides healthcare professionals with rapid and accurate access to the information they need from vast amounts of medical data through personalized conversational search.
■The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 2nd that it will conduct a health crisis response capacity strengthening program with the Laos Ministry of Health on the 2nd and 3rd. The health crisis response capacity strengthening ODA project for Laos, which started in 2022, has provided support for various capacity strengthening based on local needs, including laboratory completion, training in serological diagnostic test methods, workshops for building infectious disease surveillance systems, and various technical supports through collaboration with Hanyang University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation. Through this invitation training, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will share experiences related to multi-agency training and assist the Laos Ministry of Health in conducting tabletop training in their country.
■The National Health Insurance Service announced on the 2nd that it has selected 420 long-term care claim institutions as '2025 Excellent Long-Term Care Claim Green Institutions.' Green claim institutions are among the top 1% of long-term care claim institutions that meet eligibility criteria, such as no reimbursement incidents, out of the institutions that filed claims in 2024. A total of 256 home care institutions (visiting care, visiting bathing, visiting nursing) and 164 facility care institutions (including day and night and short-term care) have been selected. The selected institutions will participate in a year-long Green institution meeting to suggest measures for preventing improper claims and play a leading role in establishing a culture of appropriate claims.
■The National Health Insurance Service announced on the 2nd that it held a meeting on the 1st to discuss mutual cooperation with four long-term care institution associations. This meeting included the Korean Senior Welfare Association, the Korean Home Care Welfare Association, the Korean Long-Term Care Institutions Association, and the Korean Home Care Long-Term Care Institutions Association. During this meeting, the National Health Insurance Service shared major issues regarding long-term care and provided guidance on support for areas affected by forest fires. The service also urged interest from the associations regarding the ongoing appeal in the tobacco lawsuit.