MSD Korea has broken its record for the most clinical trial approvals in Korea and is now in full swing, developing innovative new drugs for Koreans.

With open innovation playing an increasingly important role in new drug research and development (R&D), MSD is expanding its ties with Korea, which plays a pivotal role in its global clinical trials.

On the 19th, MSD Korea held R:IM (Notification) DAY and highlighted changes in R&D trends under the theme of “A New Paradigm in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Global Clinical Trends and MSD's Vision.”

Korea plays a pivotal role in global MSD cancer research

The reason why MSD Korea's performance in the domestic R&D field is attracting attention is that it received the most clinical trial approvals last year.

In 2024, MSD Korea received 36 clinical trial approvals from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the most among domestic pharmaceutical companies.

During the same period, AstraZeneca Korea (22), AD pharma (19), AbbVie Korea (17), and Boehringer Ingelheim Korea (15) received clinical trial approvals from the MFDS.

In particular, MSD Korea has been leading Korea’s medical ecosystem by investing more than KRW 70 billion for 4 consecutive years since 2021, with a cumulative total of KRW 290 billion in research and development costs. This proves the company’s R&D competitiveness in terms of the number of clinical trials, costs, as well as its quality and quantity.


Hyunjoo Lee, Executive Director of Clinical Research at MSD Korea, who made a presentation on that day, said, “We are focusing on research and development of new drugs that have been proven to be effective and safe for Koreans in cooperation with domestic research institutes and academic societies.”

MSD Korea has also been playing a central role in MSD's global anticancer drug clinical trials.

Currently, the company is conducting over 180 clinical trials in collaboration with more than 640 domestic research institutions, with the largest portion (161 studies) focused on oncology.

Although Korean institutions account for only 3% (518) of the 14,770 global institutions conducting anticancer drug clinical trials, these institutions are responsible for 73% of MSD's global cancer drug trials, demonstrating the concentrated utilization of Korea's research capabilities.

Major hospitals in Korea, such as Seoul National University Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Asan Medical Center, and Severance Hospital, are among the top institutions leading MSD's global clinical trials, which is considered a testament to Korea's internationally recognized clinical research capabilities.

In addition, Korea ranks fourth in the world in terms of the number of patients enrolled in MSD's global anticancer drug clinical trials, following the United States, China, and Japan.

Accelerating digitalization... challenge remains on establishing a sustainable cooperation model

Another trend in the global pharmaceutical industry's clinical trials is the integration of digital technology.

MSD is also actively promoting the introduction of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to keep pace with this trend.

A representative example is the increased use of innovative clinical designs such as umbrella, basket, and adaptive protocols in clinical trial design.

“MSD is systematically introducing AI and machine learning technologies into the drug discovery and development process to accelerate pipeline diversification,” said Lee. ”MSD has developed AI tools that enable more accurate evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the active substances in its pipeline during the preclinical development stage.”


In the long term, MSD Korea aims to become a trusted R&D partner, a bridgehead for domestic pharmaceutical and biotech companies to gain global research experience and enter the market, and foster an ecosystem for innovative new drug development.

This includes improving the regulatory environment in Korea, expanding clinical trial infrastructure, and building more active partnerships with domestic research institutions and biotech companies.

Currently, MSD Korea is expanding its partnership by conducting joint clinical trials with major domestic biotech companies for the combination therapy of the immuno-oncology drug Keytruda.

In the future, the company plans to expand this collaboration to various other fields to build a sustainable ecosystem that will enhance the global competitiveness of the Korean pharmaceutical industry.

Lee stated, “To enhance the global competitiveness of Korea's pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, it is essential for the government, academia, and industry to collaborate closely. We will strive to establish a sustainable collaboration model to position Korea as a global hub for pharmaceutical research.”