Latest news with #LeeDong-hoon
![[Bio USA] SK Biopharmaceuticals CEO highlights resilience, open innovation amid global shifts](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F06%2F22%2Fnews-p.v1.20250622.6f347ba79b0f48699e57a8849a11dca7_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Bio USA] SK Biopharmaceuticals CEO highlights resilience, open innovation amid global shifts](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
22-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Bio USA] SK Biopharmaceuticals CEO highlights resilience, open innovation amid global shifts
Korea Herald correspondent BOSTON — SK Biopharmaceuticals CEO Lee Dong-hoon underscored the company's preparedness for potential US tariff changes and emphasized the critical role of open innovation in shaping the future of global pharmaceuticals. 'We've weathered volatility in our share price over the past year, but the impact of potential price cuts has been minimal,' Lee said Thursday during a press conference on the sidelines of the 2025 Bio USA. 'Our direct-to-market sales model remains fundamentally solid.' He recalled a particularly tense moment earlier this year when shifting US tariff policies posed logistical challenges. In April, the company rushed to transport finished products from Canada into the US before a new tariff deadline. 'When the final truck finally cleared customs, everyone burst into applause,' he recounted. To prevent such risks from recurring, the company now assembles finished products in Canada and ensures shipments cross the border ahead of any policy changes. Looking ahead, SK Biopharmaceuticals is evaluating Puerto Rico as a potential US-based manufacturing site, leveraging its status as a US territory and pharmaceutical hub. 'Canada is cost-effective for now, but we're preparing for every scenario,' Lee said, noting the company's tariff risk is now 'close to zero' for the year. Lee also expressed confidence in the company's long-term growth. 'We've already announced our goal to hit 1 trillion won ($728 million) in sales by 2029, and we're on track,' he said, citing consistent profitability since last year. A cornerstone of SK Biopharmaceuticals' strategy is open innovation. Instead of relying solely on internal research and development, the company is partnering with universities, biotech firms and research institutions. 'Major global pharmaceutical firms are moving away from in-house basic research, and so are we. When you can collaborate and generate results at a fraction of the cost, your possibilities expand," he explained. The CEO emphasized the importance of tapping into underutilized technologies at US universities and biotech startups to diversify the company's pipeline, moving beyond its core focus on epilepsy into areas like oncology. Artificial intelligence is another major focus area. Lee highlighted the company's work on EEG-based seizure prediction models in collaboration with European and South American partners, along with AI algorithm development trials currently underway in Korea. 'AI is no longer optional. It's essential in every part of the business,' he said. One standout partnership is with PhnyX Lab, whose AI-driven automation of clinical documentation significantly reduced paperwork. 'Even our US team, which was initially skeptical, was blown away,' Lee said, calling the shift 'Copernican' in scale for how it will reduce time and cost. The CEO also outlined plans to build a global digital platform for epilepsy patients — a space where patients and physicians can share experiences and insights. 'It's not about selling drugs,' he clarified. 'It's about collecting data to inform AI-powered marketing, drug development and clinical trial design.' The company is looking three to five years ahead, aiming to build an ecosystem where shared data drives innovation across functions. In the US, SK Biopharmaceuticals is intensifying its engagement with health care providers. Lee has personally met with dozens of physicians this year, aiming for 100 meetings, to gather insights that will shape lifecycle strategies such as patent extensions, expanded indications and new formulations like IV delivery. Meanwhile, SK Biopharmaceuticals has invested in targeted TV and YouTube campaigns for its flagship epilepsy drug, Xcopri (cenobamate). Its 'Road to Reduction' campaign drew 9.37 million views in just one month, signaling the brand's growing visibility and leadership in the epilepsy treatment market.
![[Bio USA] SK Biopharmaceuticals teams up with PhnyX Lab to boost AI-based drug development](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F06%2F18%2Fnews-p.v1.20250618.7cc012dccaa842089c2e1b76d1e0c1b6_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Korea Herald
18-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Bio USA] SK Biopharmaceuticals teams up with PhnyX Lab to boost AI-based drug development
BOSTON -- SK Biopharmaceuticals announced Tuesday that it had signed a mutual strategic business agreement with AI startup PhnyX Lab during the Bio USA 2025 convention held in Boston, aiming to establish an AI-powered drug development framework. Through the agreement, the two companies will co-develop a customized solution that automates key processes in drug development such as literature searches, data analysis and document generation, using PhnyX Lab's proprietary generative AI platform Cheiron. The collaboration will especially focus on automating regulatory documentation required for clinical trial initiation, expediting what SK Biopharmaceuticals calls a "full-scale AI transformation" of its drug development workflow. The company expects this shift to significantly enhance R&D productivity while dramatically reducing the time and cost associated with drug development and approval. "Pharmaceutical and biotech industries face significant challenges in digital transformation due to their complex workflows and heavy regulation," said Bae Min-seok, CEO of PhnyX Lab. 'The partnership demonstrates that generative AI solutions can be effectively applied in real-world settings to improve both efficiency and accuracy in pharmaceutical operations.' As Cheiron is an end-to-end AI solution tailored for the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, the system also connects with official databases from regulatory bodies such as the US FDA and Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, as well as the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) classification system, to deliver high accuracy and practical utility. 'AI is no longer a choice, but a core capability in drug development,' said Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of SK Biopharmaceuticals. 'By partnering with PhnyX Lab, we plan to further embed AI into every stage of our drug development process and strengthen our competitiveness in the global market.' SK Biopharmaceuticals has already been utilizing its in-house AI platform Huble in the early stages of drug development, particularly in analyzing disease-causing genes and proteins and identifying drug candidates. Through the new collaboration, the company plans to expand the application of AI across its operations to maximize productivity.
