SK Bioscience Symposium, GC Pharma FDA Plasma Approval, Kolon Cancer Data, Korea Bio Response Hub

SK Bioscience said it held its “2026 Sky Vision Symposium” on April 4-5 at the Oakwood Premier hotel in Songdo, Incheon.

The sessions were chaired by Lee Jeong-yong, president of the Korean Association of Internal Medicine, and Gwak Gyeong-geun, president of the Seoul Association of Internal Medicine, with infectious-disease specialists and community physicians presenting.

In the first-day vaccine session, speakers highlighted the benefits of cell-based influenza vaccines. Lee Jae-gap, a professor at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, said the cell-based method is less affected by viral mutations than egg-based vaccines and has higher antigen matching, citing the rationale behind recommendations in global guidelines, including those in the U.K., and real-world evidence of preventive effects.

Noh Ji-yoon, a professor at Korea University Guro Hospital, presented on shingles vaccination strategies, citing recent findings on the long-term preventive effect of live shingles vaccines, reduced risk among people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, and links to dementia and cardiovascular disease.

On the second day, discussions turned to patient-tailored nutrition therapy. Kang Han-uk, director of Jeong Internal Medicine Clinic, and Hwang Deok-won, director of Chamdeundeun Internal Medicine Clinic, presented on clinical use of three-chamber nutritional infusions and immune-strengthening strategies using omega-3 fatty acids, respectively.

Lee Jeong-yong said, “As we enter an era of aging, the roles of vaccination and nutrition therapy have become more important than ever,” adding that the symposium provided practical information physicians could use immediately in clinics.
 

 
GC Pharma said its U.S. subsidiary ABO Plasma received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its Laredo plasma center in Texas. The company said the approval came more than three months earlier than expected, citing ABO Plasma’s operating expertise and the Laredo center’s rapid process stabilization.

With the approval, ABO Plasma has secured FDA clearance for all seven plasma centers it operates in the United States. In the U.S., only plasma collected at FDA-approved centers can be sold commercially or used as raw material for pharmaceuticals.

ABO Plasma plans to open an eighth center in Eagle Pass, Texas, within the year. GC Pharma said it aims to raise utilization across all centers to 100% by 2028 and to self-procure 80% of the source plasma needed to produce its blood-product new drug, “Aliglo.”

GC Pharma CEO Hur Eun-cheol said, “Based on a solid business structure, we will strengthen competitiveness in the U.S. plasma fractionation business.”
 

 
Kolon Life Science said it will present, for the first time publicly, preclinical results for its anticancer gene-therapy candidate KLS-3021 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, or HNSCC, at the American Association for Cancer Research’s AACR 2026 meeting in San Diego from April 17-22 local time.

The company said KLS-3021 showed antitumor effects in the HNSCC preclinical study regardless of PD-L1 expression levels. It also shifted the tumor microenvironment toward conditions favorable for anticancer immunity, supporting its potential as a next-generation immuno-oncology viral therapy, the company said.

KLS-3021 is built on a recombinant vaccinia virus engineered for greater cancer-cell selectivity and carries therapeutic genes PH-20, IL-12 and sPD1-Fc. Kolon said it is designed to combine direct tumor killing with breakdown of tumor stroma and induction of anticancer immune responses.

In the study, KLS-3021 showed antitumor efficacy across multiple orthotopic HNSCC tumor models. In a high PD-L1 expression model, a single intratumoral dose produced greater tumor suppression than the standard immunotherapy “anti-PD-1,” the company said, suggesting a new treatment possibility for patients with high PD-L1 expression.

Kolon Life Science said it will continue to strengthen HNSCC research for KLS-3021 and use the AACR presentation to highlight its development potential and broader applicability as a next-generation oncolytic virus platform to global researchers.

CEO Lee Han-uk said, “We will further refine our development strategy centered on cancers with high unmet needs and move to fully scale up global R&D cooperation.”
 

 
The Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association said it has set up an emergency response headquarters to address drug supply-chain instability stemming from the Middle East war. The headquarters is led by Vice Chairman Lee Jae-guk, the association said.

The organization will operate with a first deputy head, Eom Seung-in, and a second deputy head, Hong Jeong-gi, and will be divided into three teams: an overall situation team led by Deputy Head Joo Eun-young; an external cooperation team led by Director Lee Hyeon-woo; and a field communication team led by Manager Kim Myeong-jung.

The association noted that naphtha is a key feedstock for ethylene production, and ethylene is a basic material for plastics. It said the pharmaceutical and biotech industry relies heavily on plastic-based materials.

The overall situation team will monitor domestic drug supply and demand and review support measures. The external cooperation team will share trends in drug imports and exports and overseas developments. The field communication team will collect member companies’ difficulties and, if needed, activate an emergency contact network with company executives. The association said it will hold weekly headquarters-level meetings to respond quickly to developments in the Middle East.

The association said it will closely monitor companies’ import, production and supply conditions and assess broader industry impacts. For items expected to face supply instability, it said it will work with the government on countermeasures and also coordinate with the government to check and respond to longer-term risks.

Chairman Noh Yeon-hong said the domestic pharma-bio industry is facing compounded difficulties from drug price cuts and a weak won, now worsened by instability in the Middle East. “We will build a rapid response system related to the Middle East situation to ensure stable drug supply and minimize damage to the industry,” he said.