■Korea GSK announced on the 10th that it has selected actress Lee Jung-hyun as the official model for its new advertising campaign for the only domestic meningococcal B vaccine 'Bexsero' (ingredient name: meningococcal B adsorbed vaccine). GSK Bexsero was first approved in Europe in 2013. It is currently included in the national essential vaccination programs of 19 countries, including the UK, the US, Czech Republic, and France. The early symptoms of meningococcal infection, such as fever and vomiting, are similar to those of the flu but can be fatal, with a mortality rate of 10-15%. After infection, the condition can worsen rapidly within 24 hours, leading to death, and even survivors may suffer from complications like nerve damage or hearing loss, with some experiencing developmental disorders.
■Pharmaceutical company Dong-A ST donated 30 million won worth of prescription drugs to the Eunpa Basic Clinic, a free medical clinic under MCM Hospital (Myung Sung Christian Medical Center), located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the 9th. The Eunpa Basic Clinic, which opened in September last year, provides medical services for Ethiopian residents who cannot access proper treatment due to economic difficulties. The donated medications include hepatitis B treatment 'Viread', diabetes treatment 'Dapagliflozin', hyperlipidemia treatment 'Lipitor', and antipyretic analgesic and anti-inflammatory 'MeroCox Capsule'.
■Samsung Bioepis announced on the 10th that it will reveal the latest research findings on treatments for autoimmune diseases at the 8th International Conference of the Korean Society of Gastroenterology (IMKASID 2025). The company presented two abstracts regarding the domestic patient prescription data for its self-developed Humira biosimilar 'Adaloce' and the potential cost-saving effects of introducing the Stelara biosimilar in Europe. An analysis of data from 213 patients who received Adaloce prescriptions from September 2017 to June last year revealed that the average disease activity index for patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and Crohn's disease (CD) who were treated with Adaloce decreased below the baseline at week 24.
■Kwangdong Pharmaceutical announced on the 10th that it visited the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul to strengthen cooperation in the deer antler industry. Park Il-bum, head of the Natural Products Convergence Research and Development Division, met with New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Don Bennett and Richard Dunsheath, representative of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Promotion, to discuss cooperation measures related to the deer antler industry. Previously, Kwangdong Pharmaceutical developed functional raw materials using deer antler for the first time in Korea. New Zealand produces deer antler through strict quality control via the Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ).
■Ildong Pharmaceutical Group announced on the 10th that it will hold a bazaar called 'Beautiful Special Exhibition' together with the nonprofit organization Beautiful Store to support vulnerable groups affected by climate crises such as heatwaves, cold waves, and flooding. Ildong Pharmaceutical Group donated products worth 110 million won, including the probiotics and postbiotics brand 'GQ Lab', for this bazaar. The items will be sold at the 'Ildong Pharmaceutical Group Corner' in 27 Beautiful Store locations in Seoul, and the proceeds will be used for support projects for vulnerable groups facing climate crises.
■KOLON Life Science announced on the 10th that a patent for its solid tumor anticancer gene therapy KLS-3021, specifically for 'recombinant vaccinia virus and pharmaceutical composition containing the same,' has been registered in Europe. KLS-3021 is a next-generation tumor-targeting virus therapy under development for solid tumor treatment. This European patent registration marks the 9th since registrations in Korea, Japan, Canada, Singapore, and China. The company expects that this patent registration will assist in the global commercialization of KLS-3021, as Europe is regarded as one of the major markets for anticancer therapies.
■The Korea Biotechnology Association announced on the 9th that it held the first consulting seminar of the 'Deal Maker Academy' with K-BD Network at the Pangyo Town Hall. The event aimed to enhance the partnering capabilities of domestic biotech companies and strengthen competitiveness for overseas expansion, with 36 business development (BD) personnel from domestic biotech companies in attendance. K-BD Network is a group of graduates from the 'Young BD' workshop of the Korea National Pharmaceutical Development Foundation, with about 200 members currently active.
■Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 10th that it passed the renewal audit for the international standards certification for company confidentiality protection 'ISO 27001' and personal data protection international standard certification 'ISO 27701' from BSI Korea. The scope of certification covers all business sites related to drug R&D and manufacturing and business development.
■PeopleBio announced on the 10th that it presented research results on a new blood diagnostic technique that can detect 'TDP-43 protein aggregates (oligomers)', known as causative proteins for frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), at the international academic conference on degenerative brain diseases ADPD 2025 held recently in Vienna, Austria. TDP-43 protein is known as a cause of limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 pathology, which is difficult to differentiate from symptoms of Alzheimer's disease as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal degeneration.