The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has been designated as a 'Chronic Disease Surveillance and Big Data Utilization Cooperation Center' by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO cooperation centers are specialized organizations designated by WHO for international health projects. The agency will collaborate with WHO to share expertise on building and operating chronic disease surveillance systems with member countries and support technologies for health big data analysis and utilization. With this designation, the agency will operate its third WHO cooperation center, following the fields of antibiotic resistance in March 2021 and pandemic preparedness and response in September of last year.
SK Biopharm announced on the 12th that it will attend the '2025 Bio International Convention' (BioUSA) held in Boston, USA. BioUSA is the largest bio exhibition in the world organized by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). This year, SK Biopharm will operate its first independent booth at the event and focus on business expansion and partnership discovery.
Curocell, a company specializing in CAR-T therapeutics, will present at BioUSA. The corporate presentations at BioUSA, conducted for global investors, pharmaceutical, and biotech corporations, offer opportunities only to selected companies after evaluation. Curocell plans to introduce its competitiveness by focusing on its largest step-by-step CAR-T pipeline and clinical results, various indications including hematological cancers and solid tumors, and key assets such as allogeneic CAR-T during this presentation. The company aims to expand opportunities for global technology transfer partners and licensing collaboration.
Prestige Biopharma Group announced that it will operate an independent booth at BioUSA for the fourth consecutive year. The company plans to showcase its core pipelines such as the pancreatic cancer antibody drug PBP1510 and the PBP1710 targeting solid tumors, as well as its technological capabilities, and conduct global partnering meetings. Key figures include CEO Go Sang-seok, who leads the new drug R&D strategy, Michael Rupert, the Director of International Business Development, and Julien Leah, the Commercial Director.
ENCell, a company specialized in contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) and new drug development, will also participate in BioUSA to engage in global partnering. ENCell will introduce the current status of orders and growth potential in the CDMO business sector and actively promote EN001, a rare drug designated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
Yuhan Corporation announced that it has received an AA rating from the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) assessment conducted by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), improving by one level from last year. After being upgraded from BBB to an A rating last year, Yuhan has now achieved an AA rating in just one year, acknowledging its sustainable management performance. MSCI has been evaluating about 8,500 listed companies worldwide since 1999, assigning ratings from AAA to CCC across seven levels.
Samsung Bioepis will present follow-up research results on the rare disease treatment EPYSQLI (ingredient: eculizumab) at the European Hematology Association meeting in Milan, Italy, from the 12th to the 15th. This is a biosimilar of Soliris developed by the U.S. company Alexion. The company plans to operate an on-site booth at the conference and present research abstracts to promote EPYSQLI.
iLeadBMS, the new drug research and development company under Ildong Pharmaceutical Group, will present preclinical research results related to the autoimmune disease drug candidate 'IL21120033' at the 2025 European Rheumatology Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, until the 14th. According to the company, excellent results were observed in animal model studies for rheumatoid arthritis, with some high-dose groups showing normal regeneration of cartilage.
Cellid announced that the issuance price for its capital increase, proceeding through a public offering of unsubscribed shares after allocating shares to shareholders, has been confirmed at 4,260 won as of the 12th. The total amount to be raised is approximately 35.8 billion won. The public subscription for existing shareholders will take place over two days starting from the 16th, with the allocation of 0.39804810 shares per new share for each existing shareholder. Should there be any unsubscribed shares, a public offering will take place on the 19th and 20th. Both existing shareholders and the public will have their unsubscribed shares entirely underwritten by LS Securities and Hanyang Securities. A total of 8.4 million new shares will be issued, and listing is scheduled for July 7. The company plans to use the funds raised for the clinical phase three trials of the COVID-19 vaccine and the related research and development expenses for new variants and commercialization.
The artificial intelligence corporation Hyun has recently been selected for a digital transformation support project for AI-based medical systems, run by the Information and Communication Industry Promotion Agency. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of public medical multi-center demonstrations and uses of an AI solution for stroke diagnosis, and it will continue until December 31 of next year. Jeonnam National University Hospital, Kyungpook National University Hospital, and Chungnam National University Hospital are participating in this project for collaboration. The total government support amount is 1.74 billion won.
The Hallym Burn Foundation announced that it supported the treatment and recovery of firefighters through a donation from Yeonjun, a member of the K-pop idol group TOMORROW X TOGETHER. Yeonjun donated 50 million won to the Hallym Burn Foundation in May of last year to help firefighters suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at fire scenes. The donation was used to support admission fees, rehabilitation treatment costs, caregiver expenses, and living expenses for firefighters hospitalized at Hallym Daegangseong Hospital. A total of seven firefighters received acute burn treatment, and 24 participated in psychological recovery programs, receiving assistance in symptom alleviation and preparation for returning to daily life.
Professor Song Kyung-ho of the Infectious Diseases Department at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital has simultaneously received the 'Editorial Contribution Award' and 'Author Service Award' at the 'Editor of Distinction Awards 2025' organized by Springer Nature, a leading academic publisher. This award program, given annually to editors of major journals published by Springer Nature, recognizes editors who have contributed to the quality improvement of journals and the development of the research ecosystem.
GI Innovation announced on the 12th that a substance patent for 'GI-301(YH35324)', a next-generation allergy treatment under development, has been registered in the United States. This patent defines part of the protein composition of GI-301, specifying that it includes sialic acid at a certain ratio. Sialic acid is an important quality indicator that affects factors such as the half-life, drug stability, and suitability for repeated dosing of protein pharmaceuticals.
Hits announced on the 12th that it was invited as an official partner to '2025 RISE AI Digital BIO Tech Day with Thermo Fisher Scientific' and presented its innovative technology and real-world applications of its platform 'HyperLab'. The company revealed that through HyperLab, MD Anderson Cancer Center successfully derived substances with an activity level of 60nM in just six months for a project that had not been resolved using conventional methods for five years.
Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital announced on the 10th during the 84th anniversary ceremony of the hospital's founding that it has declared a leap to become a representative university hospital in the northwest region of Gyeonggi. Ilsan Paik Hospital has completed large-scale expansion and remodeling work conducted over three years and four months. The capacity has been increased from 648 beds to 728 beds, and outpatient consultation rooms that were previously distributed across the 1st to 5th floors have been reorganized into a 'comprehensive outpatient' area on the basement level. The operating room has been moved from the basement to the third floor, creating state-of-the-art endoscopic surgical rooms (five rooms) and an operating room dedicated to robotic surgeries. Some departments have been relocated and expanded, with endoscopy rooms, dialysis rooms, and various examination rooms also remodeled, and the parking lot has been expanded. For the first time in the Gyeonggi region, the next-generation robotic surgical system 'Da Vinci 5' has been introduced.
Dong-A Pharmaceutical announced on the 12th that it simultaneously launched magnesium pidolate, a complex preparation, including magnesium pidolate liquid and pidolex soft capsules. Magnesium pidolate has superior absorption and bioavailability compared to other inorganic and organic magnesium salts. It effectively improves magnesium transport through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and is effective in reducing headaches and migraines. The pidolate liquid contains 3,462.5 mg of magnesium pidolate in one bottle. It contains three types of vitamin B and taurine, which can help alleviate physical fatigue, weakness, and muscle cramps due to magnesium deficiency.
Daewon Pharmaceutical announced on the 12th that it has launched a new product 'Chajaltaek (Chajalta),' an oral motion sickness medication. Chajalta contains the antihistamine dimenhydrinate and the vitamin B6 derivative pyridoxine hydrochloride, which effectively suppress the central vomiting pathway and prevent and alleviate symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, and headaches caused by motion sickness.
GC Biopharma's affiliate Inivio announced on the 12th that it held a symposium for the launch of botulinum toxin 'Inibo' in Bangkok, Thailand. This event was organized to establish 'Inibo' in the Thai market, with participation from around 240 experts, including medical staff from major Thai university hospitals.