South Korea’s government is continuing to step up support to reduce the financial burden on patients suffering from four serious diseases. In its latest plan, the health ministry has increased reimbursement of therapies for pancreatic cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma and lymphoma.

South Korean pharmas advance in the oncology space as Ilyang Pharm lets Colombia's Biopas sell its novel leukemia therapy Supect in 10 Latin American countries, while LegoChem Biosciences links with Fosun Pharma for development and commercialization of its antibody-drug conjugate as an anticancer therapy for the Greater China region.

South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has unveiled a list of companies that will be designated as innovative pharma firms for the next three years and thus eligible to receive financial and tax incentives to boost their R&D activities.

South Korea's mid-size pharma firm Ilyang Pharm has presented promising new clinical results for its leukemia therapy Supect (radotinib; IY5511), which is the first original drug for the disease to be developed in Asia.