■GC Biopharma announced on the 26th that it held a 'Bio Safety and Health Forum' at its headquarters research and development center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The forum introduced government safety and health policies and shared best practices. The Ministry of Employment and Labor hosted the event, and participants included Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, SK bioscience, STgen Bio, Yong Science, and Korea Vaccine.
■HANDOK announced on the 26th that it was selected for the 'Autonomous Factory Establishment Support Project' organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The pharmaceuticals will be produced in a factory equipped with an artificial intelligence (AI) system. This project aims to reduce worker intervention and enhance manufacturing competitiveness through autonomous control. HANDOK will receive 530 million won of the total project cost of 1.12 billion won over the two years.
■Pharos iBio announced on the 26th that its cancer drug 'PHI-501' received approval for Phase 1 clinical trial plans from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. PHI-501 can be applied to solid tumors such as refractory colorectal cancer, malignant melanoma, and triple-negative breast cancer. Solid tumors are cancers that develop in body tissues.
■Xcell Therapeutics announced on the 26th that it signed an exclusive supply contract for 'next-generation transfection solutions' with Trins in Belgium. Transfection refers to the artificial delivery of specific DNA and proteins into cells. This process alters cell characteristics and can be utilized in gene research and drug development. Xcell Therapeutics specializes in cell gene therapy cultivation media.
■MedPacto announced on the 26th that 'Bactoserb' has been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for therapeutic use in osteosarcoma patients. Bactoserb is a TGF-β (transforming growth factor-beta) signaling pathway inhibitor. This approval was made upon the request of Severance Hospital. Bactoserb was supplied to a male patient in his 30s suffering from osteosarcoma.
■Jeil Healthcare Science announced on the 26th that it will introduce a children's growth health functional food called 'Hike Knee'. It contains fermented oyster extract (FGO), vitamins B1 and B6, niacin, zinc, and selenium. The fermented oyster extract is made by enzymatically breaking down oysters and then fermenting them with lactic acid bacteria. It is a jelly stick with a green grape flavor.
■T&R Biofab announced on the 26th that it applied for Class 2 item approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for skull regeneration implants. The skull regeneration implant 'TnR CFI' is an artificial scaffold made for bone tissue regeneration using 3D printing technology. It is manufactured by T&R Biofab and currently sold in Korea by Vibracore Korea. The company expects the review to take about six months.