- Opinion
- [Reporter's View] K-Bio's development and human resource
- by Whang, byung-woo Jan 14, 2025 05:56am
- The Korean pharmaceutical and biotech industry (known as 'K-Bio') has grown robustly over the past few years. K-Bio has successfully out-licensed new drug developments, including the In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD), biosimilar, and CDMO, since the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the industry is concerned about sustainability. The key issue is hu
- Opinion
- [Reporter’s View] Korean drugs go international this year
- by Son, Hyung Min Jan 14, 2025 05:56am
- Last year, new drugs developed by domestic pharmaceutical companies recorded remarkable achievements overseas. Hanmi Pharmaceutical's Rolontis (U.S. brand name Rolvedon) has continued to grow in the U.S. market. Rolontis is a neutropenia treatment developed by Hanmi Pharmaceutical and became the 33rd new domestic drug to be approved in Ko
- Opinion
- [Reporter's View] Pharma bio stocks shunned for good reason
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Jan 8, 2025 05:53am
- The sarcastic comment that “escaping from the KOSPI (Korean stock market) is a matter of intelligence” has become a trend for some time. Although the so-called “Korea discount” is not new, the distrust of the Korean stock market among individual investors has been rising recently. Pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare stocks are no
- Opinion
- [Reporter's View] Switching of drugs reimbursable
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jan 6, 2025 05:57am
- When a patient chooses one medication and switches to another, reimbursement does not cover the latter. Non-reimbursable drug switching has been a long-standing issue in South Korea. At the end of last year, a long-standing issue in one field was resolved. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) granted approval for drug switching for p
- Opinion
- [Reporter’s View] The dilemma of companion diagnostics
- by Whang, byung-woo Dec 31, 2024 05:56am
- A drug is available but unusable. This is the story of the Claudin 18.2 targeted gastric cancer drug Vyloy (zolbetuximab). This is not the typical situation where a breakthrough drug is approved but is inaccessible due to its high price. The problem is companion diagnostics (CDx). In order to use a Vyloy, which targets Claudin 18.2, i
- Opinion
- [Desk’s View] No external reference pricing next year?
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Dec 24, 2024 06:22am
- The plan to reevaluate drug prices based on foreign drug prices (external reference pricing), which was expected to be announced by the end of the year, has been delayed. The agenda did not make this year's list at the last Health Insurance Policy Review Committee meeting set for Friday (27th). It is unlikely that the plan will proceed as sc
- Opinion
- [Reporter’s View] ERP hits industry again
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Dec 18, 2024 05:55am
- Another round of layoffs at multinational pharmaceutical companies are underway with the nearing end of the year. Starting in the second half of the year, 5 companies have already launched early retirement programs (ERPs). The reasons are varied. Whether it's their cash cow crisis, divestitures, or mergers and acquisitions, multinationa
- Opinion
- [Reporter's view] The National Assembly must restore
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Dec 17, 2024 05:51am
- On December 14, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol, causing the government to be partially paralyzed. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Special Presidential Committee on Healthcare Reform, and the National Bio Committee face significant disruptions in their ongoing policy initiatives.
- Opinion
- [Reporter's view] What corporates expect from entering pharm
- by Dec 13, 2024 05:52am
- Denmark's Novo Nordisk, the maker of the obesity drug 'Wegovy,' became Europe's No.1 in market capitalization in September last year. It topped France's luxury goods group LVMH Mo&235;t Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH). At that time, Novo Nordisk's market cap was approximately KRW 790 trillion, exceeding Denmark's gross domestic product (GDP
- Opinion
- [Reporter's View] Restricting vs expanding access
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Dec 5, 2024 05:53am
- The addition of a post-listing control system seems to be a fixed deal. The establishment of the Drug Performance Evaluation Office under the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Policy Research Institute has already taken place, and government officials have been publicly discussing using RWD (Real-world data) for drugs subject to the exe
