■Amgen Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Severance Hospital on the 18th for global clinical trial collaboration. Amgen Korea and Severance Hospital established a cooperation system for early and late clinical trials focusing on various cancers such as lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer, as well as inflammatory diseases like atopic dermatitis and asthma, endocrine diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, obesity, and rare diseases including thyroid eye disease. Amgen Korea expressed hope that this MOU would contribute to strengthening Korea's position as a hub for multinational clinical trials and enhance treatment access opportunities for innovative new drugs for Korean patients.
■Artificial intelligence and medical robotics corporation LN Robotics has been selected as the award-winning company for the inaugural Korea Innovation QuickFire Challenge, organized by Johnson & Johnson Innovation's startup nurturing organization, JLABS Korea. LN Robotics introduced AVIAR, the first coronary intervention assist robot developed domestically, and its core technology. As a result of this award, LN Robotics will receive research funding of $50,000. In addition, it will gain membership at JLABS Korea, allowing access to mentoring from experts within Johnson & Johnson and opportunities for consolidation with the global entrepreneur community through the global JLABS network.
■The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, through its affiliated Food and Drug Safety Evaluation Institute, announced on the 18th that starting next year, when applying for minor changes to already approved pharmaceuticals, the documentation requirements will be eased to a summary table format instead of the Common Technical Document (CTD) format. Minor changes refer to adjustments that do not affect quality, such as changes in raw material weighting and adding or altering secondary packaging manufacturers, or changes in origin of additives. The CTD is an internationally standardized regulatory submission format for pharmaceuticals. The Ministry expressed hope that this measure would help enhance the stability of domestic pharmaceutical supply.
■Chung-Ang University Medical Center announced on the 18th that it has undergone organizational restructuring to respond to the rapidly changing healthcare environment. New departments have been established, including the Planning and Coordination Office, Digital Healthcare Office, External Cooperation Office, and Management Headquarters, in addition to the existing Biomedical Research Institute and Audit Office. Key appointments for the expanded organization include: Han Deok-hyun as head of the Planning and Coordination Office, Kim Chan-woong as head of the Digital Healthcare Office, Lee Jae-sung as head of the External Cooperation Office, Kim Seong-dae as head of the Management Headquarters, and Jeong Myeong-sik as head of the Audit Office.
■Jongkundang Holdings announced on the 18th that it concluded its 2024 Opera Hope Story performances with a show held at the Yangsan Busan National University Hospital on the 17th. This year's performances, which began at Jeonbuk National University Hospital in July, were conducted a total of 27 times across 22 hospitals and special schools nationwide, including Sinchon Severance Hospital and Yongin Gangnam School. The Opera Hope Story is a healing performance program aimed at patients, families, and medical staff who have limited access to performance culture. The company stated, "We aimed to provide healing to audiences who usually struggle to access performances, and especially hope it provided warm comfort to patients and caregivers enduring difficult treatment processes."
■SK Biopharm carried out a volunteer activity for 'Happy Boxes' packaging aimed at children at risk of hunger in collaboration with the social contribution network Happy Alliance on the 16th. More than 240 employees packaged a total of 480 boxes containing items and handwritten letters of encouragement to be delivered to children at risk of hunger in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province. Happy Alliance is a social safety net formed by 119 corporations, 126 local governments, and citizens who share a commitment to solving the problem of children at risk of hunger.
■Dong-A Pharmaceutical's official website won the grand prize in the 2024 Web Awards Korea in the pharmaceutical category. Now in its 21st year, the Web Awards Korea is hosted by the Korea Internet Professionals Association (KIPFA). A panel of domestic internet experts selects the most innovative and outstanding websites. The official website of Dong-A Pharmaceutical, which won the grand prize in the pharmaceutical category, received praise for maximizing user convenience with its clean and intuitive design.
■HK Inno.N received an 'AA grade' in the 2024 Fair Trade Commission's evaluation of excellent corporations in the Compliance Program (CP). The CP grading evaluation is a system that grants grades to corporations that have implemented the Fair Trade Compliance Program for more than one year based on their performance from the previous year. This marks the third time that HK Inno.N has received the AA grade, following 2017 and 2021.
■Il-Yang Pharmaceutical announced that Kim Wook-ho, the Chairperson of the union, received the Silver Tower Industrial Medal from the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The award was presented during the 2024 Labor-Management Culture Contribution Government Award Ceremony held by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Kim Wook-ho was recognized for 28 years of contributions in fostering a culture of dialogue and compromise since taking on the role of Chairperson in 1996.
■Global pharmaceutical corporation Baxter has transferred its office to the Samil Building on Cheonggyecheon-ro, Seoul, ahead of the launch of Vantive Korea. The Kidney Care Division of Baxter International is currently in the process of splitting into Vantive, a new kidney management company under the global investment firm Carlyle Group. The company explained that this office transfer was made in preparation for the establishment of Vantive Korea, which provides dialysis and acute kidney treatment products and services domestically.