■ Hanmi Pharmaceutical said on the 22nd that HM97662, an anticancer drug under development, demonstrated safety in a phase 1 clinical trial. The company recently presented the results at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Berlin, Germany. It said antitumor activity was observed in a trial of patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. There were no severe toxicities that led to treatment discontinuation or death.
■ Dong-A ST affiliate APTIS said on the 22nd that it signed a memorandum of understanding with J2H Biotech to jointly develop an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) drug candidate. The plan is to develop a next-generation ADC drug by combining APTIS's antibody conjugation technology with J2H Biotech's platform. An ADC is a therapy that delivers a drug precisely to cancer cells by attaching it to an antibody.
■ HUGEL said on the 22nd that five years have passed since its botulinum toxin product "Letino" entered China. Letino holds a 15% market share in China. It is supplied to more than 6,800 institutions, accounting for 85% of medical aesthetic clinics in China. China is the world's second-largest botulinum toxin market after the United States and has stringent approval requirements. There are currently six toxin products approved in China.
■ HANDOK said on the 22nd that it selected Hong Jin-tae, a professor at Chungbuk National University College of Pharmacy, as the winner of the 56th Handok Academic Award. The award was jointly established by HANDOK and the Korean Pharmaceutical Society in 1970. It was created to boost research motivation in the pharmaceutical field. Professor Hong has devoted himself to research related to cancer and inflammatory neurological diseases.
■ Neurophet said on the 22nd that it will conduct research on innovative medical technology for personalized transcranial direct current stimulation. It will use brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and artificial intelligence (AI). Innovative medical technology is a system that helps technologies with recognized potential enter clinical settings early. While using the technology in clinical practice, researchers must conduct evidence-generation studies that collect scientific data to demonstrate safety and efficacy. The company recently held meetings with six institutions, including Severance Hospital in Sinchon and Asan Medical Center, to conduct evidence-generation research.