■ PeopleBio announced on the 18th that it will launch its Alzheimer’s diagnosis blood test export product 'AlzOn+' at Siriraj Hospital, Thailand’s largest public university hospital. Siriraj Hospital, affiliated with Mahidol University Medical School, Thailand's top medical school, is the country’s first general hospital and the number one hospital in Thailand. According to the company, this launch of AlzOn+ will allow public medical universities in Thailand to conduct AlzOn+ tests through Siriraj Hospital without a separate testing registration process. The company expects that access to the AlzOn+ test within local public healthcare institutions in Thailand will significantly expand.
■ Onconic Therapeutics, a subsidiary of JEIL PHARMACEUTICAL focused on new drug development, announced on the 18th that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated its under-development next-generation dual-target synthetic lethality anticancer drug candidate Nesuparib as an orphan drug for stomach cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer. This follows the designation as an orphan drug for pancreatic cancer treatment by both the Korea Food and Drug Administration and the FDA in 2021, and now it has received orphan drug designation for a new disease. Nesuparib is a next-generation targeted anticancer drug that simultaneously inhibits PARP and Tankyrase, which are involved in cancer formation.
■ CG MedTech, a subsidiary of Daewoong Pharmaceutical focused on orthopedic implants research and manufacturing, announced on the 18th that it has signed a cooperation agreement with neurosurgeon Robert S. Bray, Jr. to develop minimally invasive spinal surgery technology and medical devices. As part of this agreement, it has also secured global exclusive licensing rights to patents related to minimally invasive spinal surgery and medical devices held by Dr. Bray. CG MedTech plans to develop minimally invasive spinal surgery medical devices utilizing Dr. Bray's technology and launch them in the global market. Dr. Bray is the founder of the DISC, a spine, joint, and sports medicine specialty hospital located in California, USA.
■ Daewoong Pet, a pet healthcare subsidiary of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, announced on the 18th that it will hold the '2025 Daewoong Pet National Clinical Academic Seminar' for veterinarians nationwide. This seminar will be conducted sequentially in major cities across the country from April to July, introducing the latest research trends and case studies in the field of pet clinical practice. Daewoong Pet plans to share the latest clinical insights and case studies with local veterinarians during this seminar. Professor Song Woo-jin from Jeju National University will speak on 'Long-term management of heart disease in dogs and cats in local hospitals,' while Professor Lim Jae-hyun from Kyungpook National University will present 'The concept, clinical indications, use, and 5 case studies of FMT (fecal microbiota transplantation).'
■ Roen Surgical, a surgical robot company, announced on the 18th that it has supplied the world's first AI-based kidney stone surgical robot, 'Zamenix,' to Korea University Anam Hospital. Korea University Anam Hospital has accumulated over 10,000 robotic surgical experiences and was the first in the country to establish a urology health check-up clinic. With this contract, Roen Surgical plans to collaborate with the urology department of Korea University Anam Hospital to advance the early detection and treatment of urological diseases such as urinary stones, prostate conditions, and bladder disorders.
■ Global healthcare corporation InBody announced on the 18th that it will participate in the 40th Korea International Medical & Hospital Equipment Show (KIMES 2025), which will be held from the 20th to 23rd in Seoul COEX. At this exhibition, InBody will showcase its malnutrition assessment solution, professional body composition analyzers called 'InBody S series,' and self-care solutions. Additionally, the company has organized five zones including malnutrition assessment, InBody series, LookinBody, medical, and consumer zones, allowing visitors to experience the products.
■ Korea University Medical Center's Industry-Academic Cooperation Division announced on the 18th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with adot to develop and commercialize AI-based digital healthcare technologies. Adot is a company founded by faculty members after receiving technology transfer from Korea University Medical Center's Industry-Academic Cooperation Division in October last year for 'AI-based pulmonary congestion state discrimination devices and methods.' It is currently developing an AI product for heart failure determination and severity prediction called 'Heart to Voice.'
■ Korea University Ansan Hospital announced on the 18th that it has been designated as a Single-Port GOSTA Endocrine Surgery Epicenter by Intuitive Surgical Korea, a global robotic surgery system company. GOSTA is a new thyroid cancer surgical technique developed by Professor Jang Young-woo of Korea University Ansan Hospital that can effectively treat the thyroid with just a 2㎝ incision, garnering attention from both domestic and international academia. Being designated as an epicenter allows the hospital to operate training programs, including surgical observation, for medical personnel from both the domestic and international community. As of this year, only five hospitals, including Korea University Ansan Hospital, have been designated as epicenters in the field of endocrine surgery for the thyroid in the country.
■ Medical technology company Weisen announced on the 18th that it has signed a supply contract for AI endoscopy with KMI Korea Medical Institute. KMI has collectively introduced the AI endoscopy 'WayMed Endo' across its national centers to establish a foundation for high-quality endoscopic examinations. KMI, established in 1985, is a health examination specialty medical institution. WayMed Endo is an AI software medical device that operates in conjunction with gastrointestinal endoscopic examination equipment and alerts endoscopic specialists in real-time to any abnormal lesions. The company explained that they have received feedback from KMI endoscopy examiners using WayMed Endo, indicating that it quickly and accurately identifies abnormal lesions without missing them.
■ Gachon University Gil Medical Center announced on the 18th that its Incheon Regional Cancer Center has been selected as the top institution in the national comprehensive evaluation of regional cancer centers by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for three consecutive years. This is based on an evaluation of the implementation of the national cancer control program conducted across 13 regional cancer centers last year. The Incheon Regional Cancer Center was the first to be designated as a regional cancer center among private university hospitals in 2011. The Gil Medical Center is currently conducting cancer management projects in the Incheon area focused on national cancer prevention, improving screening rates, and early detection through educational campaigns.
■ The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 18th that it will implement the 'Mobile Rare Disease Diagnosis Program' starting on the 19th to enhance support for patients with rare diseases. This diagnosis support program aims to help undiagnosed rare disease patients receive timely treatments through genetic testing and interpretation. Starting in 2023, the agency has been collecting and diagnosing samples taken from designated medical institutions to screen potential patients and carriers with genetic factors. This year, the number of supported diseases will expand from 66 to 131, increasing the support scale to 800 people. Furthermore, the number of designated medical institutions will increase to a total of 34 to enhance diagnostic accessibility based on residence. Detailed information can be found on the 'Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Rare Disease Helpline (http://helpline.kdca.go.kr).'
■ The Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs announced on the 18th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Health Insurance Service to promote the public benefit use of public information and establish a collaborative research evaluation system. The main contents of the agreement include establishing an effective collaborative system for the joint use of healthcare data, providing and sharing data necessary for the joint use of healthcare data between institutions, collaboration on research and evaluation regarding the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare technologies, and research collaboration aimed at establishing and supporting evidence-based healthcare policies.