Celltrion has completed administration of an experimental COVID-19 antibody treatment to a total of 1,300 people participating in its phase 3 clinical trial, the company announced Monday. The final stage of human tests of the drug candidate, known as Regkirona or CT-P59, is being conducted in 13 countries, including Korea, the US, Spain and Romania, the firm added. The treatment has cleared an emergency use authorization in Korea in February. The Seoul-based drug developer, specializing in

Industry April 26, 2021

South Korean livestock health management firm uLikeKorea announced the launch of an information and communication technology-based solution to detect symptoms of swine diseases, including African swine fever. Kim Hee-jin, CEO of uLikeKorea, claimed it is the world’s first and only such solution developed for pig farming. According to the firm’s press release, it uses a device that is inserted in a pig’s uterus to keep track of its activities, hormone levels and body temper

Technology April 26, 2021

Sales of biosimilars developed by Samsung Bioepis in Europe reached $205.1 million in the first quarter this year, the South Korean drugmaker said Friday. Sales of Samsung Bioepis’ three major autoimmune biosimilars -- Benepali, Flixabi and Imraldi -- increased 3.9 percent on-quarter but decreased 6.3 percent on-year, the company said, citing an earnings report of its US partner Biogen released Thursday, local time. Samsung Bioepis is a joint venture between Biogen and Samsung Group&rs

Technology April 23, 2021

Faced with a COVID-19 vaccine shortage, South Korea is taking the first steps to consider Russia’s Sputnik V. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday that it would collect clinical data on the Russian vaccine to study its efficacy and safety. The ministry has requested the help of the Foreign Ministry and its overseas missions for the collection of data from 12 countries where the vaccine has been rolled out, officials said. A Drug Ministry official, however, attempted to d

Technology April 22, 2021

The Federation of Korean Industries said Tuesday that South Korea needs to consider reviewing related regulations to open up the gates for local practice of telemedicine-medical diagnosis. FKI Vice Chairman Kwon Tae-shin said now is the time to take deregulatory actions, given the public’s positive perception of telemedicine, formed after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. He made the remarks during a seminar held to share information and opinions on telemedicine trends in Seoul, Tue

Technology April 20, 2021

SK Telecom announced Monday that the company has introduced a 5G-based disinfection robot at a Severance Hospital branch in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. It is the world’s first such hospital robot utilizing the next-generation telecommunication technology, the company added. The machine “Keemi” uses a real-time location system, through which it can find the location of missing patients and analyze patient density within the hospital. The robot comes with an artificial intel

Technology April 19, 2021

South Korea, which is struggling to secure COVID-19 vaccines developed by foreign firms like Pfizer and Moderna, can’t expect local alternatives anytime soon, as Korean drugmakers are not making speedy progress as hoped in their vaccine development, industry sources said Sunday. Even firms that have reached the clinical trial stage are having difficulties in securing volunteers with the vaccination campaign underway, the sources said. South Korean drugmakers Genexine and Cellid are cu

Technology April 18, 2021

Electronic component maker Samsung Electro-Mechanics has developed an ultrasmall, high-capacity multilayer ceramic capacitor, the company said Thursday. A multilayer ceramic capacitor regulates a current’s flow in a circuit, making it a core component within electric devices, such as smartphones, home appliances, and electronic vehicles.　 Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ new capacitor is 0.4 millimeter long and 0.2 mm wide. The capacitor also has a 1.0 microfarad capacity and 6.3 volta

Technology April 15, 2021

South Korea will introduce measures to ensure the safety of imported kimchi, such as conducting onsite inspections at around 100 kimchi production facilities overseas by 2025, the Ministry of Food and Drug said Thursday. The move came after a video of a kimchi-processing plant in China went viral in South Korea for exposing its poor hygiene and sanitation conditions. In the clip, a naked man is seen swishing cabbages back and forth through a waist-deep pool of unidentifiable brownish liquid,

Industry April 15, 2021

SK Holdings’ equity investment in Grab, the Southeast Asian equivalent to Uber, is receiving attention as the ride-hailing app prepares for an initial public offering on the tech-heavy US bourse Nasdaq. According to the investment-focused holdings firm of SK Group, the Singapore-based startup behind the ride-hailing and food delivery app is planning a floatation via a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. Grab’s market value is estimated at around $39.6 billion after it

Technology April 14, 2021

South Korea has cleared potential roadblocks for the local production of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, but it will have to wait until the drug’s safety is proven, government officials said Tuesday. “We’re not considering putting (Novavax shots) to use prior to the authorization process,” Baek Young-ha, who is in charge of the government’s vaccine procurement, told a press briefing Tuesday. The official also sought to clarify an earlier comment by Health Min

Technology April 13, 2021

Institut Pasteur Korea announced Monday that it had signed an agreement with Genexine to offer support for the latter’s global clinical studies of COVID-19 vaccine candidate GX-19N. IPK said it would help Genexine conduct clinical studies of GX-19N and examine the efficacy of GX-19N against COVID-19 variants. According to Genexine, the vaccine candidate, which contains an antigen targeting the coronavirus’ nucleocapsid protein, is potentially effective against COVID-19 variants.

Technology April 12, 2021

Samsung BioLogics, Kakao and Hyundai Motor are competing to be the fifth-largest company in terms of market capitalization in South Korea. According to Korea Exchange on Monday, Samsung BioLogics is currently holding fifth place on the country’s main bourse Kospi, with a market cap of 51.7 trillion won ($45.9 billion). Kakao and Hyundai Motor closely follow with 49.5 trillion won and 48.2 trillion won, respectively. Competition for the fifth spot has recently escalated after Kakao&rsqu

Technology April 12, 2021

Music Village 1939 is a music complex built on 38,000 square meters of land where the former Gapyeong station was located, connecting Seoul and the small town of Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province.  The complex, which is designed to host musical and other cultural performances, is also widely known for hosting the country’s biggest annual jazz festival, Jarasum International Jazz Festival. The complex comprises of several buildings that house concert halls, a cinema, guest residences,

Travel April 10, 2021

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has called upon President Joe Biden to overturn the US International Trade Commission’s ruling against SK Innovation, marking the third such request since the decision made on Feb. 11. In his statement issued on Thursday, local time, Kemp urged that the impact on the $2.6 billion electric vehicle battery production plant in Jackson County will deliver a heavy blow to the regional economy, unless the president takes immediate action. “The jobs of at least 2,

Industry April 9, 2021