Biogen Korea, the Korean unit of U.S. biotech company Biogen, said on the 20th it has appointed Kim Cheol-ung as its new chief executive officer.
Kim will oversee overall management of Biogen Korea going forward, leading domestic business strategy, strengthening organizational capabilities, expanding the neuroscience and rare disease portfolio, and promoting patient-centered management.
Kim is an expert who has led the field of rare and intractable diseases in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in Korea and abroad. At Korea AstraZeneca, Kim served as senior executive director heading the rare disease business unit and pursued patient-centered programs in the field of ultra-rare diseases with limited treatment options.
In particular, under the philosophy of "One Patient Counts," Kim helped improve the treatment environment by attracting domestic clinical research for rare disease patients and linking patient support programs.
Before that, at Pfizer Emerging Asia, Kim served as regional therapeutic area lead in rare diseases and led the launch of rare disease therapies at home and abroad and efforts to expand patient access to treatment.
Biogen Korea plans to accelerate the introduction of next-generation innovative therapies in Korea and increase patients' access to treatment, leveraging Kim's expertise in the rare disease market.
Biogen Korea currently supplies the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treatment Spinraza and is also focusing on expanding patient access to the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) treatment Qalsody, which received approval from the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety last year, and on improving the domestic treatment environment.
New CEO Kim Cheol-ung said, "I am honored to take the helm at Biogen Korea, which has led innovation in neuroscience and rare diseases," adding, "Based on the expertise I have built in the rare disease field and a patient-centered philosophy, I will do my best to ensure Biogen's innovative therapies are delivered to patients in Korea quickly and reliably."