■SK Life Science, SK Biopharm’s U.S. subsidiary, announced on the 19th (local time) that it has officially launched a consumer-directed (DTC) advertising campaign in the form of TV commercials across the United States. This campaign is a strategic marketing effort aimed at increasing awareness of ‘cenobamate’ (U.S. name: Xcopri) and expanding prescriptions for new patients. The goal is to raise societal awareness of epilepsy and encourage patients to overcome their fears of new medications and communicate more actively with medical professionals about treatment options. SK Life Science anticipates that this campaign will serve as a strategic tool to drive real prescription growth beyond mere brand exposure.
■Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 20th that it has operated a booth for Fexuclue at the ’2025 Digestive Disease Week (DDW)‘, the world’s largest gastroenterology conference, and held the ‘Fexuclue Reception Night’ symposium. This symposium focused on the latest insights and key research results regarding Fexuclue. Notably, during DDW 2025, Daewoong Pharmaceutical presented a total of five new pieces of data related to Fexuclue, making it the company with the most research results disclosed for domestic P-CAB class treatments. New studies introduced include research demonstrating the preventive effect of NSAID-induced peptic ulcers, a Phase 3 study targeting Indian patients with erosive esophagitis (EE), research on low-risk mechanisms related to Alzheimer’s, evaluation of improvement in nocturnal gastric acid secretion symptoms, and research on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) derived gastritis models.
■IDT Biologika, a subsidiary of SK bioscience and a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in Germany, participated in ‘Bioscience International Europe (BPI Europe)’ held at the Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) in Germany from the 12th to the 15th (local time). BPI is a global biotechnology industry conference that discusses the latest technologies and partnerships covering all aspects of the development, production, and analysis of biopharmaceuticals, held annually in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
■Dong-A ST announced on the 20th that its inner beauty brand ILO has selected Red Velvet’s ‘Irene’ as its brand model and is participating in a special event at Olive Young’s online mall to celebrate. The event runs from the 19th to the 26th for eight days, offering ILO’s popular products at discounts of up to 37%. Notably, the recently launched diet line is being introduced with the biggest benefits since its release, providing a great purchasing opportunity for consumers in their 20s and 30s, who are particularly interested in dieting as summer approaches.
■Yuhan Corporation announced on the 20th that it received a presidential citation at the ’60th Invention Day' ceremony held by the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Korean Invention Promotion Association on the 19th. The citation recognized the company’s efforts in operating an intellectual property (IP) and research and development (R&D) strategic system to create patent value from the research and development stage, as well as the development of the non-small cell lung cancer treatment ‘Lecraza’.
■Dong-A ST announced on the 20th that it received a presidential citation at the ’60th Invention Day' ceremony. The company was recognized for its achievements in promoting inventions through continuous R&D investment, including the clinical entry of the glucagon dual-action obesity treatment ‘DA-1726’.
■Organoid Science announced on the 20th that it received a Prime Minister’s citation at the ’60th Invention Day' ceremony. The company was recognized for securing multiple key patents through its organoid platform-based technology and applying them to real industry, thereby enhancing the technological competitiveness of the domestic biotechnology ecosystem.
■Sijibio, a specialized company in bio-regenerative medicine, announced on the 20th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for business collaboration in advanced regenerative medical and healthcare projects with Seoul Yes Hospital and Seoul Yes Bio. This agreement represents a strategic partnership among the three institutions, each with different expertise, to establish an organic cooperative system throughout the entire process of advanced regenerative medicine. Through this agreement, Sijibio will oversee institutional and administrative support needed for research and development (R&D), product commercialization, and global expansion strategies, acting as a management service organization (MSO) that encompasses all three institutions. Seoul Yes Hospital will handle clinical implementation in actual medical settings, including securing patient groups, clinical consultation, and on-site verification of treatment technologies, while Seoul Yes Bio will be responsible for basic research, pre-clinical, and clinical development for treatments and medical devices.
■Enzychem Lifesciences announced on the 20th that it has published the results of its U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial for the chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis treatment ‘EC-18’ in the international journal ‘Cancers.’ This paper statistically demonstrated the efficacy and safety of the clinical trial conducted on 105 patients with squamous cell head and neck cancer who underwent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy at 21 hospitals in the United States. The results showed that the duration of severe oral mucositis (SOM), the primary efficacy evaluation variable, was reduced by 100% compared to the placebo group, which had a duration of 13.5 days. The secondary efficacy evaluation variable, the incidence of severe oral mucositis, was shown to be 40.9%, representing a 37.1% reduction compared to the 65.0% in the placebo group. In terms of safety, the frequency of adverse reactions was similar between the treatment and placebo groups, confirming statistical superiority.
■Kips Pharma announced on the 20th that its U.S. subsidiary Algok Bio will begin enrolling clinical patients for the ovarian cancer treatment candidate Idetrexed in June, under the leadership of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in the U.K. According to Kips Pharma, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the U.K. has recently approved the clinical trial application (CTA) for a Phase 1b trial combining Idetrexed and AstraZeneca’s PARP inhibitor Lynparza (ingredient name olaparib), which treats BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Accordingly, from early June, enrollment and administration of approximately 15 patients for a Phase 1b trial will begin in the U.K. The company expects that initial clinical results will be available in the second half of 2026.