■Celltrion announced on the 14th that it has received construction approval for a new drug product (DP) plant from the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) to be built in Songdo, Incheon. The new DP plant will have the capacity to produce approximately 8 million liquid vials annually and will be constructed on land near the existing Plant 1. This marks the official start of construction after 1 year and 5 months since the decision to expand the DP plant in September 2023. The company plans to complete the new DP plant by the first half of next year and commence full-scale commercial production starting in 2027. This DP plant will produce liquid vial products such as Truxima and Vegzelma, in addition to recently approved products like Idencelt, Steqeyma, and Aptozma.
■SK bioscience announced on the 14th that it has begun supplying the antibody injection for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prevention called "Beyfortus" from the French company Sanofi. Beyfortus can be administered to all newborns and infants under 12 months of age. The company explained that the preventive effect lasts for at least 5 months, allowing maintenance of RSV seasonal prevention for that year with a single dose. Newborns and infants experiencing their first RSV season (October-March) and children under 24 months who are at high risk for severe RSV disease during their second RSV season can receive Beyfortus at major hospitals and clinics nationwide. RSV is a virus that causes respiratory infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants and is considered one of the main causes of hospitalization in young children.
■Hanmi Pharmaceutical recently revealed on the 14th its fully automated vial dispensing system "Countmate," designed to reflect the characteristics of the North American region by directly packaging medications into plastic containers. Countmate automatically handles the entire process from counting medications to labeling, image verification, and final vial discharge. To target the market, Hanmi Pharmaceutical attended the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear 2024 held in New Orleans, USA, in December last year, in collaboration with McKesson Automation, a North American distributor and partner of Hanmi Pharmaceutical, where they presented the Countmate system to the public for the first time.
■GC Wellbeing announced on the 14th that it held a declaration ceremony for the introduction of its self-regulatory compliance program (CP) on the 13th. CP is an internal compliance system created and operated by corporations to comply with fair trade-related regulations. The event was attended by Kim Sang-hyun, CEO of GC Wellbeing, and compliance managers among the company's employees. A training session was held by inviting experts in fair trade to enhance the understanding of compliance regulations among all employees and strengthen practical capabilities.
■Dong Kook Lifescience, a subsidiary of Dongkook Pharmaceutical, announced on the 14th that it will be listed on the KOSDAQ market on the 17th. The funds raised through this listing are expected to be used for R&D investment for the development of new MRI contrast agents. Dong Kook Lifescience, established in 2017, is the leading company in the domestic contrast agent market. It is currently developing a next-generation MRI contrast agent that provides bright imaging while safely utilizing iron components, in collaboration with the new drug development company Inventera.
■HEM Pharma announced on the 14th that its revenue in 2024 is expected to reach 15 billion won, up 182% from the previous year, marking the highest performance since its establishment. This exceeds the annual sales target of 12.2 billion won submitted to the Financial Supervisory Service at the time of its KOSDAQ listing last November by approximately 23%, surpassing market expectations. The company also noted a significant improvement in its profit structure, with operating losses decreasing by 42% and 35% compared to 2022 and 2023, respectively, continuously reducing its deficit. The company stated that as revenue grows, profitability is gradually stabilizing and a continued recovery is anticipated.
■New Meco, a subsidiary of Medytox, announced on the 14th that it has published a consensus paper capturing the opinions of domestic experts on the botulinum toxin product "Newlux" in the international journal "Toxins." The 10 researchers participating in this paper provided specialized knowledge regarding optimal injection doses, injection methods, and potential complications of botulinum toxin products used in facial expression muscles, along with the latest research findings. New Meco hopes that this paper can be used as a guideline to maximize the effects of cosmetic procedures.
■Cigi Bio, a bio-regenerative medicine company, announced on the 14th that CEO Yoo Hyun-seung had a meeting with the Minister of Health and Welfare of Indonesia to discuss local production of medical devices, technology cooperation, and medical talent development strategies. The company expects that through this discussion, it will meet Indonesia's local production standards (TKDN) policy, enhance the competitiveness of Cigi Bio's medical devices locally, and expand export opportunities.
■Jaeseng Oriental Medical Center announced on the 14th that it held the delivery ceremony for the "4th Jaeseng Shin Jun-sik Scholarship" at the Jaeseng Medical Bio Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. During this ceremony, a total of 120 million won in scholarships and scholarship certificates were awarded to outstanding talents in the field of Korean medicine. The Jaeseng Shin Jun-sik Scholarship has been operating since 2022 to discover and cultivate outstanding talents to lead the future of Korean medicine. Dr. Shin Jun-sik, the founder of Jaeseng Oriental Medical Center, initiated this project with his own funds. Each year, 12 selected scholarship recipients receive full tuition support for one year from Jaeseng Oriental Medical Center and are provided opportunities to participate in the "JS Leaders" internship, which offers education and practice in Korean treatment methods for medical majors both domestically and abroad.