Sunchonhyang University-affiliated Cheonan Hospital will officially open its new hospital on May 7. The new hospital, which began construction after a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2021, is built on a 45,300.1 square meter site adjacent to the north side of the current hospital, featuring 5 basement floors and 15 above-ground floors. The total floor area is 136,192 square meters, with a capacity of 1,000 beds. A helipad for transporting emergency patients is also set up on the roof. Hospital Director Lee Moon-soo said, "We received temporary usage approval from Cheonan City last December and are accelerating preparations for the opening," and added, "We have now completed the processes for the new hospital opening and have entered the commissioning and transfer preparation stages." He noted, "We will successfully open the new hospital with a patient-friendly treatment system and a safe and efficient medical environment to repay the trust of the local residents."
Seoul Bumun Hospital announced on the 9th that it is conducting preliminary research to provide customized rehabilitation therapy using Angel Robotics' advanced walking rehabilitation robot. The rehabilitation robots from Angel Robotics, including Angel Lex M20, which assists with walking training and stair climbing, and Suit H10, which aids hip joint function, can be applied to conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, and other gait-related disorders. Bumun Hospital plans to apply this program to 30 patients requiring rehabilitation after joint and spine surgery for two weeks to assess whether to introduce robotic rehabilitation services. Hospital Director Ha Yong-chan said, "We are reviewing the application of rehabilitation services using wearable robots through research and in-depth interviews with users" and added, "We will do our best to improve customer satisfaction by introducing various advanced programs that help patients return to their daily lives quickly."
LigaChem Biosciences announced that it will participate in the 43rd JP Morgan Healthcare Conference and Biotech Showcase 2025 in San Francisco, which will be held from the 13th. The company will hold follow-up meetings with global pharmaceutical companies with which it has been discussing collaborations and will actively pursue partnerships with new companies. LigaChem Biosciences will introduce several follow-up drug candidates based on its proprietary antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform 'ConjuALL' and will begin discussions on technology transfer for that pipeline and platform. President Park Se-jin noted, "This year will serve as an opportunity to enhance the potential for various collaboration models, including package deals."
Sanofi's Korean subsidiary has officially introduced the infant 6-in-1 combination vaccine 'Hexaxim' into the National Immunization Program (NIP) as of the 2nd, allowing it to be administered free of charge at designated healthcare institutions across the nation. This is the first and only 6-in-1 combination vaccine in South Korea. It can simultaneously prevent a total of six infectious diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, type B Haemophilus influenzae, and hepatitis B. The target population is infants who received the hepatitis B monovalent vaccine at birth and will receive a total of three doses at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. However, infants born to hepatitis B-positive mothers require prevention against vertical transmission of hepatitis B, so they will be administered the 5-in-1 combination vaccine and the hepatitis B monovalent vaccine as before.
GNT Pharma announced on the 9th that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the clinical stage 3 trial of 'Nelonemda' under development as a stroke treatment. The multinational phase 3 clinical trial of Nelonemda will be conducted on 788 severe stroke patients undergoing thrombectomy within 12 hours of onset. This clinical trial will take place in South Korea, the United States, and Australia, with over ten university hospitals participating in the domestic trial. Additional countries like Europe and China will proceed with the trial once clinical trial institutions that can adhere to the management standards are selected. Nelonemda is a multi-target neuroprotective drug developed by GNT Pharma with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT.
D&D Pharmatech announced on the 9th that it has newly appointed Dr. Mazen Noureddin as a scientific advisor. Dr. Noureddin is a leading global authority in the field of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASH) and cirrhosis related to MASH. He has participated in over 50 clinical trials related to MASH, including Madrigal's Rezdiffra, the only approved treatment for MASH to date. Dr. Noureddin is currently a professor in the gastrointestinal disease treatment and surgery departments at Houston Methodist Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine in the United States.
Dong-A Pharm's subsidiary, Dong-A CharmMed, announced on the 9th that it has released the infection prevention disinfecting wipes 'ED WIPES HP.' These wipes are designed for infection control in medical institutions, with hydrogen peroxide as the main ingredient. They show a bactericidal effect of 4 log or more within just one minute against various bacteria and viruses. Notably, they demonstrate the ability to kill multidrug-resistant bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), within one minute.
Yuhan Corporation launched the premium women's probiotic 'Elena Theanine' this month. As a result, the Elena product line has expanded to include four types: Elena, Elena Queen, Elena Stick, and Elena Theanine. 'Elena Theanine' adds theanine, which helps with stress relief and psychological stability, to the UREX® probiotics that assist in improving women's vaginal and intestinal environments. To commemorate this launch, there will also be an event offering limited edition postcards featuring the artwork of 93-year-old iPad drawing artist Yeo Yu-jae-soon randomly included in the packaging of 'Elena Theanine.'
Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 9th that it, along with Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul Boramae Hospital, has established an 'Integrated CDM Platform' by consolidating the Common Data Models (CDM) independently managed by each institution. This provides a collaborative research platform where integrated data from the three institutions can be accessed and analyzed with a single approach. The CDM standardizes medical data such as medical records, prescriptions, and test results held by each medical institution. The integrated CDM platform will allow researchers to utilize an extensive medical data set of approximately 6.85 million patients by consolidating the CDM data of the three Seoul National University Hospital institutions. This platform aims to increase the value of utilizing medical data and foster a collaborative research environment.
Korea University's Vaccine Innovation Center will hold a '2025 Vaccine Expert Training Program' from the 14th to the 17th. The Vaccine Innovation Center has been running an educational program annually since 2023 to train domestic vaccine experts. This training is designed for healthcare professionals, researchers, public officials involved in vaccine-related work, and graduate students interested in vaccinology. The detailed program includes 'Advanced Course on mRNA Vaccine Research and Development' and 'Advanced Course on Vaccine Clinical Trials,' with principal professors such as Professor Kim Woo-joo from Korea University Guro Hospital's Infectious Disease Department, Professor Cheon Byung-cheol from Korea University's Preventive Medicine Department, and Professor Kim Cheol-woo from Korea University's Microbiology Department conducting the lectures.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical has renewed its international standard 'ISO 37001' certification for anti-corruption management systems from the Korea Compliance Certification Institute. The ISO 37001 certification is an international standard established by the International Organization for Standardization to prevent corporate corruption based on an international consensus. The certification is reviewed every three years after the initial verification to assess activities and effectiveness related to anti-corruption management.
Osstem Implant has received the international standard 'ISO 37301' certification for compliance management systems from the British Standards Institution (BSI). ISO 37301 defines the requirements for establishing, developing, implementing, evaluating, maintaining, and improving compliance management systems for lawful and ethical business operations. Osstem Implant is the first corporation in the domestic dental industry to receive ISO 37301 certification.