LifeStyle

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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 making purchases. 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 Institute (KHIDI), a stat 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, has won Emergency Use Au 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 December 18. Celltrion has dev 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 animal testing. Daew 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 in a joint research projec 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 research institute, selecte 2020-11-30
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  [TRAVEL] Photogenic sightseeing spots in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province SEOUL -- Yeosu is a beautiful port city in South Jeolla Province. It is famous for its scenic surroundings. The city some 320 kilometers (198 miles) south of Seoul offers a variety of fresh seafood as well as trips to small islets scattered in the sea. Yeosu Art Land Culture & Resort Yeosu Art Land Culture & Resort is an exotic 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 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 due to heavy traffic. Dre 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 told reporters on the 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 the initial batch of pharmaceutic 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 kits in partnership with v 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-dose combination o 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 Safety for third-stage clinical trials 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 monitoring solutions. T 2020-10-30
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  [INTERVIEW] Seegene's quantum leap is far from over as producer of reliable diagnostic kits 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 that quickly produced diagnostic kits used widely for a national ba 2020-10-30
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  Paraguay's main gateway to set up S. Korea's fast COVID-19 screening system SEOUL -- Paraguay's main international gateway will set up a fast COVID-19 screening system based on an in-vitro diagnostic device that was produced by a South Korean biotech company with technology developed by a military medical research institute. The Armed Force Medical Science Research Institute has transferred its rapid molecular diagnostic technology to iONEBIO for the production of an in-vitro diagnostic device that will be used for a fast infection control system at P 2020-10-28
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  Lotte Chemical works with college medical center to develop anti-bacterial plastic materials SEOUL -- Lotte Chemical, a petrochemical unit of Lotte Group, will work with a college medical center to develop anti-bacterial plastic materials. Antibacterial films and materials are widely used in South Korea for elevator cabins, door handles and other vulnerable places to prevent the invasion of viruses. Lotte Chemical signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea University Medical Center to jointly research and develop plastic materials of antibacterial properties and 2020-10-28
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  Researchers develop 3-D human lung tissue model for pathogenesis of novel coronavirus SEOUL -- Researchers involving those from a South Korean state research institute have developed a three-dimensional model of human lung tissue to investigate the pathogenesis of a novel coronavirus, making a new breakthrough in efforts to develop vaccines and therapeutics. Characterizing pathogenesis is crucial for developing vaccines and therapeutics. However, the lack of models mirroring the cellular physiology and pathology of human cells has limited research. Researchers have 2020-10-26