LifeStyle

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  S. Korean regulators start review on AstraZeneca vaccine for quick use in February SEOUL -- State regulators have launched a process to approve the use of a COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca PLC, a Swedish-British pharmaceutical company, and its South Korean consignment production partner. The examination will be completed within 40 days to start vaccination in February. AstraZeneca has applied for permission to sell its vaccine which was produced by its South Korean partner, SK Bioscience, and abroad, the Ministry of Food and D 2021-01-04
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  GC Pharma shares up on expected consignment production deal with Moderna [Courtesy of GC Labs SEOUL -- Shares of GC Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company in South Korea, rose on expectations that it may produce COVID-19 vaccines on a consignment production deal with U.S. biotech company Moderna, which has agreed to supply vaccine doses for 20 million people to South Korea starting in the second quarter of 2021. GC Pharma was up 12.95 percent to trade at 40,550 won ($37.3) in mid-day trading on December 30. Other South Korean companies mentioned as candi 2020-12-30
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  State watchdog starts screening Celltrion's antibody treatment for COVID-19 SEOUL -- South Korea's drug safety watchdog began evaluating the safety and efficacy of Celltrion's antibody treatment code-named CT-P59, which has been developed as an intravenous injection for patients with mild and moderate symptoms. It would be South Korea's first treatment for COVID-19. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it would complete the screening of CT-P59 within 40 days. Celltrion has said that CT-P59 shortened the recovery tim 2020-12-29
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  State lender's plastic cards to be coated with antibacterial films SEOUL -- All plastic cards to be issued by Industrial Bank of Korea will be coated with antibacterial films to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the request of customers who have responded positively to antiviral debit cards issued by the state lender earlier. Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) said on December 21 that each side of its new plastic cards, credit or debit, will have 99.9 percent antibacterial effects. A debit (check) card can be used instead of cash when 2020-12-21
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  Preliminary approval to finance production of Daewoong's tapeworm treatment medicine SEOUL -- Daewoong Pharmaceutical, a major bioengineering company in South Korea, has been selected as a candidate to receive state money for the production of niclosamide, a tapeworm treatment medicine that has been noted as an all-in-one treatment for COVID-19. The company aims to complete the second stage of clinical trials in the first of 2021 for emergency use. Daewoong said that it has won preliminary approval from the Korea Health Industry Development Ins 2020-12-21
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  Sugentech's antibody test kit wins state approval for domestic use SEOUL -- The domestic use of a rapid antibody test device developed by Sugentech, an in-vitro diagnostic test reagent producer, has been approved in South Korea. The company highlighted the usefulness of its product to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at medical institutions and other vulnerable places. Sugentech has commercialized a variety of diagnostic medical devices. Its test kit called SGTi-flex COVID-19 IgG, which detects the presence of antibodies, h 2020-12-21
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  Celltrion revises deal with U.S. client to ship new rapid COVID-19 antigen test kit SEOUL -- Celltrion, a leading biotech company in South Korea, will ship Diatrust, a COVID-19 rapid antigen test kit capable of yielding results in 15 minutes without additional equipment in a revised deal with its American client who wants quick delivery. Under a deal worth 240 billion won ($218 million), Diatrust will be exclusively supplied to Prime Healthcare Distributors, a wholesale distributor based in New York, Celltrion said in a statement on Decembe 2020-12-18
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  Daewoong allowed to conduct Foistar's clinical testing as COVID-19 treatment SEOUL -- Daewoong Pharmaceutical, a major bioengineering company in South Korea, has acquired state approval to go ahead with final clinical trials to check the efficacy and safety of camostat mesilate, a drug candidate for the treatment of COVID-19. Damostat mesilate is a potent serine protease inhibitor sold under the brand of Foistar. Foreign studies showed that camostat mesilate was found to be effective in blocking the spread and pathogenesis of COVID-19 in an 2020-12-17
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  SK Bioscience ready to embark on second vaccine's clinical trials SEOUL -- SK Bioscience, a partner for South Korea's state project to develop COVID-19 vaccines, has applied for state approval to carry out clinical trials after its second vaccine candidate code-named GBP510 was selected to receive funding from an international foundation which finances vaccine research projects. SK Bioscience hopes to embark on clinical trials in December to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of GBP510, which is under development 2020-12-10
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  Chong Kun Dang's COVID-19 drug candidate allowed to complete clinical trials in Russia SEOUL -- Chong Kun Dang, a pharmaceutical company in South Korea, has been allowed to go ahead with the final stage of clinical trials in Russia to test the efficacy of its anticoagulant and acute pancreatitis treatment Nafabeltan in treating COVID-19 patients. Nafabeltan's ingredient is nafamostat mesylate, a short-acting anticoagulant which also has some antiviral and anti-cancer properties. Institut Pasteur Korea, an infectious disease-focused 2020-11-30
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  [TRAVEL] Photogenic sightseeing spots in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province [Courtesy of Ko 2020-11-20
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  [TRAVEL] Photogenic sightseeing spots in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province SEOUL -- Suncheon is a city in South Jeolla Province. Located in a coastal area some 295 kilometers (183 miles) south of Seoul, it is an agricultural and industrial city with a population of about 250,000. The city is well known for its scenic spot called Suncheon Bay which is famous for a beautiful sunset. Suncheon Bay National Garden [Courtesy of Ko 2020-11-20
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  Shares of Dreamtech soar on expected mass-production of simple COVID-19 screening device SEOUL -- Shares of Dreamtech, an electronic component maker in South Korea, soared on news that it would seek state approval to mass-produce a simple COVID-19 screening device using a sensor-based nasal breath test system developed by Nanoscent, an Israeli biotech startup, following their successful trial involving British soccer players. Dreamtech jumped 29.8 percent to 14,600 won ($13.1) in morning transactions on November 20, with its website paralyzed du 2020-11-20
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  Celltrion leaves door open for consignment production of COVID-19 vaccines SEOUL -- Celltrion, a leading biotech company in South Korea, left the door open for consignment production through cooperation with COVID-19 vaccine producers, saying more than 10 companies worldwide are expected to succeed in developing vaccines in the first half of 2021. "About 100 companies around the world are developing COVID-19 vaccines, and more than 10 are expected to succeed in the first half of next year," Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin 2020-11-18
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  Samsung Biologics secures deal to mass-produce Lilly's antibody treatment SEOUL -- Samsung Biologics, a leading bio company in South Korea, has secured a long-term contract to mass-produce COVID-19 antibody treatment developed by Eli Lilly and Company, an American pharmaceutical company, showing confidence in its experience in the successful initial production that followed a deal in May. Financial terms were not disclosed. Samsung BioLogics said the company has strengthened cooperation with Lilly to produce and deliver th 2020-11-17
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  [INTERVIEW] Sugentech predicts modest sales after development of vaccines SEOUL -- Expectations run high for the commercialization of COVID-19 vaccines after Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company in the United States, achieved the better-than-expected efficacy of its vaccine candidate. However, the announcement would never put a damper on the business strategy of Sugentech, an in-vitro diagnostic test reagent producer in South Korea. To take the upper hand in the new market, Sugentech proposed the supply of neutralizing antibody test kit 2020-11-10
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  Huons tests Belgian company's asthma drug as COVID-19 treatment SEOUL -- Huons, a pharmaceutical company in South Korea, will conduct a joint study with a college medical team to see if an asthma treatment produced by a Belgian company is effective in treating those infected with a novel coronavirus. Huons will work with a team from Korea University Medicine in Seoul to recreate Zephirus produced by Laboratoires SMB S.A. as a COVID-19 treatment. Huons signed an exclusive agreement with SMB in 2017 to market Zephirus, a fixed 2020-11-06
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  Daewoong allowed to conduct third-stage combination therapy with diabetes drug candidate SEOUL -- Daewoong Pharmaceutical, a major bioengineering company in South Korea, has acquired state approval to go ahead with final clinical trials to check the efficacy and safety of enavogliflozin, a drug candidate for the treatment of diabetes when it is administered in combination with two other medications. The company aims to release the drug in South Korea by 2023. Daewoong said it has received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug S 2020-11-04
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  KT works with American bio-sensor producer to expand capabilities in digital bio-health sector SEOUL -- KT, a major telecom company in South Korea, will work with Sibel.Inc, an American bio-sensor company, to expand capabilities using artificial intelligence and big data in the digital bio-health sector. Sibel has developed a wireless sensor that can monitor body temperature, cardiac impulse, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation in real-time. The two companies agreed to carry out a pilot project related to digital health using ICT-based disease monito 2020-10-30
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  [INTERVIEW] Seegene's quantum leap is far from over as producer of reliable diagnostic kits Seegene vice president Lee Min-cheol SEOUL -- Seegene, known as a producer of reliable in vitro diagnostic devices, has taken away huge benefits from a COVID-19 pandemic to become one of the most-watched companies in South Korea's stock market for its quantum leap this year. In preparation for a post-pandemic era, the company still hopes to maintain growth with differentiated multi-diagnosis technologies. Seegene was among South Korean companies tha 2020-10-30