The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said on the 20th that it newly appointed 195 civil servants to expedite approvals and reviews for new drugs, biosimilars and medical devices.
This staffing expansion is a key measure to foster the biohealth industry discussed at the second core regulatory rationalization strategy meeting. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said the goal is to strengthen a regulation science–based, swift and precise approval and review system to help secure Korea's future growth engines.
The new appointees will be assigned to core areas such as quality reviews of new drugs and orphan drugs; quality and safety and efficacy evaluation of biosimilars; and safety and efficacy verification of new-technology medical devices including artificial intelligence.
Before they are deployed to the field, they will complete three weeks of job training on public service values and state governance philosophy, along with specialized courses in areas such as drug quality, safety and efficacy review; medical device performance review; and safety management. In particular, practical, hands-on training will cover field-specific laws and approval and review procedures, international guidelines, and the latest regulatory trends, as well as real approval and review cases.
At the appointment ceremony, Oh Yu-Kyoung, head of the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, said, "This new round of hiring is an important turning point to put public safety first and supply biohealth products more quickly."