Dong-A Pharmaceutical announced on the 25th that it will support pharmaceuticals and other supplies to the areas affected by forest fires, such as Uiseong County in Gyeongsangbuk-do and Sancheong County in Gyeongsangnam-do. The company plans to deliver over 3,600 units of five types of medicines, including its main products, cold medicine Panphirin, children’s cold medicine Champ, and digestive agent Benachio, along with 4,000 bottles of Bacchus D, to residents affected by the fires and to firefighters and volunteers through a volunteer pharmacy truck. The volunteer pharmacy truck, which has a capacity of 1.2 tons, was produced by the Dong-A Socio Group to quickly assist residents in disaster-stricken areas. In the past, it has provided emergency relief supplies to affected areas during major forest fires in Uljin and Gangwon regions.
Dongwha Pharm announced on the 25th that it has signed an exclusive sales and distribution agreement for the gastroesophageal reflux disease treatments "Dexilant" and "Lansoprazole LFD" with Takeda Pharmaceutical in Korea. Dongwha Pharm will be responsible for marketing and distribution to enhance the competitiveness of the two products. The items covered by the agreement include 30-milligram and 60-milligram Dexilant delayed-release capsules, as well as 15-milligram and 30-milligram Lansoprazole LFD tablets. A representative from Dongwha Pharm noted, "Through this exclusive distribution agreement, we have gained an important opportunity to expand market share and push forward sales strategies."
i-SENS announced on the 25th that it has completed the approval for changes to the European CE certification for its continuous glucose monitoring device (CGM) "CareSense Air." Since first introducing "CareSense Air" in Korea in September 2023, i-SENS has continuously improved its performance through ongoing research and development. This CE approval change is considered an important milestone in the global expansion of "CareSense Air," following the recent approval change by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The new features allow users to make corrections if needed, and the initial stabilization time has been reduced from the previous 2 hours to 30 minutes. The change also includes an important revision that allows "CareSense Air" to be used for therapeutic purposes, enabling users to inject insulin or make blood sugar management decisions based on continuous glucose measurements from the device instead of traditional fingertip blood glucose readings.
Boryung announced on the 25th that it has published the first professional guidebook for small cell lung cancer in Korea titled "A Guide to Small Cell Lung Cancer for Physicians." Small cell lung cancer grows rapidly and has a poor prognosis, making treatment difficult. However, it accounts for only about 15% of all lung cancer diagnoses, making it hard to find specialized guidebooks for small cell lung cancer patients. The guidebook comprehensively organizes the concept of small cell lung cancer, treatment methods, precautions, and the latest research trends based on known scholarly content. It was completed with the consultation and review of medical professionals from the Lung Cancer Division of the Korean Society of Clinical Oncology, consisting of the country’s top lung cancer experts. Professor Jin-Seok Ahn from Samsung Medical Center serves as the advisory committee chair, while Professors Kim Se-Hyun from Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and Kim Hye-Ryun from Yonsei Cancer Center serve as vice chairs.
Genexine announced on the 25th that it has entered into a material transfer agreement (MTA) with Weill Medical College of Cornell University for research on the potential of its innovative cancer drug GX-BP1, based on the bioPROTAC platform, to treat bladder cancer. This joint study will be led by Bishoy M. Faltas, the director of the UK Precision Medicine Institute and a member of the Meyer Cancer Center at Cornell. The primary objective is to confirm whether GX-BP1 can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of bladder cancer cells. Genexine has demonstrated, for the first time in the world, GX-BP1's ability to degrade SOX2 through in vitro experiments and confirmed the inhibition of cancer cell growth in heterologous transplantation animal models. Currently, GX-BP1 is undergoing preclinical trials for lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), which has the highest expression of SOX2.
Dong-A Socio Holdings announced on the 25th that it has implemented the "WE UP!" program to improve smart work efficiency. "WE UP!" stands for Work Efficiency UP. Dong-A Socio Holdings is launching this program based on an organizational culture diagnosis that indicated inefficient work processes significantly hinder employee engagement and happiness. As part of the first phase of the WE UP! program, common PowerPoint (PPT) templates have been provided for employees of Dong-A Pharmaceutical, Dong-A ST, and other companies within the Dong-A Socio Group.
DENTIS announced on the 25th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Shadowless lighting specialist Hospedia Medicare from India. DENTIS has established a new subsidiary in India and completed import permit procedures last year, marking its official entry into the new market. Hospedia Medicare has 35 years of experience in the LED surgical lighting business. With this MOU, the two corporations will work together to expand their market share of surgical solutions, including operations, in the Indian market. Last year, DENTIS revamped its surgical lighting brand, Luvis, into the comprehensive surgical solution subsystem 'Luvis Medical Systems' and is pursuing global market expansion.
Korea Abbott announced on the 25th that it will integrate the data of the continuous glucose monitoring platform (base technology) "FreeStyle Libre 2" and the cloud-based medical data platform "LabConnect" through a collaboration with digital healthcare company i-Cube. This data integration is expected to enhance blood sugar management for healthcare professionals and diabetes patients. The two corporations believe that this collaboration will enable comprehensive evaluation of patient data on the LabConnect platform to establish optimal, customized treatment plans. FreeStyle Libre was introduced to Korea in May last year and is covered by health insurance for patients with type 1 diabetes and pregnant women with diabetes.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 25th that it will conduct training for 'clinical performance testing personnel of in vitro diagnostic medical devices' from the 26th. This training will be conducted by an institution designated by the Ministry for the capacity enhancement of personnel involved in clinical performance testing. Personnel are required to complete more than 8 hours of training annually. Applications for training can be made through the websites of the Korean Association of In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices and the Korean Smart Healthcare Association. Key training topics include relevant laws and the roles and ethics of personnel.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 25th that it held the '2025 Dynamic Bio Workshop' in collaboration with the Korean Biopharmaceutical Industry Association. Dynamic Bio is a public-private partnership project aimed at policy development, system improvement, product support, and international cooperation for the biopharmaceutical industry. The workshop featured presentations on the initiatives of each Dynamic Bio division and awards for outstanding members. The Ministry expressed hopes that this workshop will enhance understanding of policies related to biopharmaceutical approval, review, and quality control.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 25th that it will conduct an 'illegal pharmaceutical distribution inspection' jointly with 17 metropolitan cities and provinces from the 25th to the 28th. This inspection will examine the distribution status between medical institutions and wholesalers for steroids, etomidate, and ephedrine, which continue to pose social issues due to illegal distribution. The inspection will cover more than 740 hospitals and clinics nationwide. The Ministry will focus on verifying the usage status through the supply and return volumes of each product, and if illegal distribution is confirmed, measures including referring the case for investigation will be taken.
Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 25th that it has ranked first in the general hospital category in the '2025 Korea Brand Power Index (K-BPI)' survey conducted by Korea Management Association Consulting (KMAC) for 25 consecutive years. The K-BPI survey was conducted through one-on-one interviews with 12,800 consumers residing in Seoul and six major metropolitan cities, with Seoul National University Hospital achieving outstanding results in key evaluation criteria such as awareness, image, availability, and preference, thereby maintaining its status as the top institution for 25 consecutive years.