“AI is now at the heart of drug development. We must make our clinical support system more flexible and manage budgets more efficiently.”

At the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)—one of the world’s largest cancer conferences—Dr. Yeong-Min Park, Director of the Korea Drug Development Foundation (KDDF), stressed the importance of practical support measures to keep pace with global drug development trends.

“Trends rapidly shifting around AI and oncology... an unavoidable trend for Korea as well”

Director Park cited ‘AI (Artificial Intelligence)’ as the most notable keyword at this year's ESMO 2025.

“Understanding global R&D trends is essential to identifying competitive fields. As KDDF prepares its next 5-year plan, this conference has provided valuable insights for discussion.”

Indeed, many global pharmaceutical companies showcased AI-based drug candidate discovery, virtual clinical data utilization, and combination therapy optimization at this year’s meeting.

Notably, ESMO also released official guidance titled “ESMO Guidance on the Use of Large Language Models in Clinical Practice (ELCAP)”, outlining the use of large language models (LLMs) in clinical practice.

Director Park remarked, "The number of AI-related sessions was remarkably high, and the presentation quality was exceptionally strong. The government is also shifting its focus to AI starting next year, and the use of AI in the field of oncology will become an unavoidable trend. We also need to connect AI with our clinical and data businesses to accelerate innovation."

At the ESMO2025 conference Hall in Berlin, booths from Korean companies like Lunit and Prestige Biopharma were set up throughout the conference halls.

Additionally, the Korea National Enterprise for Clinical Trials (KoNECT) set up a booth to support domestic companies in securing investors and global partnerships. The Korea Drug Development Fund (KDDF) also participated in this support effort.

Director Park said, “We have seen domestic companies actively engaging on-site. At this ESMO, which has grown to rival ASCO in scale, the presence of Korean companies was distinctly felt.”

“KDDF plans to focus on clinical strengthening measures in its next five-year plan”

For KDDF, participation in ESMO 2025 served not merely as observation but as a key step in policy planning. Director Park noted that the organization is currently meeting with industry leaders on-site to refine its future support framework.

KDDF’s upcoming five-year plan is expected to include “enhanced clinical support” and “establishing an AI-driven drug development foundation” as its core initiatives.

Director Park stressed execution and flexibility as critical elements for success, identifying three key factors in drug development: clinical support systems, budget management, and responsiveness to emerging trends.

To this end, he stated that discussions are underway to allow clinical support funding to be flexibly adjusted within the scope of the preliminary feasibility study (PFS), rather than being constrained by a fixed budget.

To enable this, KDDF is considering expanding the authority of evaluation committees and adjusting weightings based on clinical stage.

Director Park mentioned, "Even if the total budget remains unchanged, we can adjust its allocation per project. We should allocate more to projects that require more funding and reduce allocations to those that require less. This approach will lead to tangible results.“

Finally, he added, ”Ultimately, new drug development hinges on the flexibility of the clinical support system and budget management. KDDF must chart a course that keeps pace with current trends while ensuring our companies gain competitiveness on the global stage."