Biopharma to build 120,000-liter plant in China

CDO lab to launch in San Francisco Bay Area as start of global expansion

SAN FRANCISCO -- The key takeaways from the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2020 held in San Francisco this week have been the increased attention to neuroscience and cell and gene therapies among global pharmaceutical companies.Neuroscience was a recurring theme in participating firms’ research. Big pharmas Biogen, Roche, Eli Lilly, Takeda and others put forth their pipelines for Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease for investors to take a lo

Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday that it will invest 129 billion won ($111 million) in London-based EV startup Arrival, in an effort to secure electric vehicle manufacturing technology and market dominance. According to the automaker, the two firms agreed to cooperate in developing urban-type EVs, after clinching a deal at the Hyundai Motor Group headquarters on Thursday.  Established in 2015 Arrival is an EV-developing startup focused on commercial-type vehicles including vans and bu

Qatar Airways said Thursday that its new business class Qsuite will be introduced in all its flights departing Incheon International Airport. Qsuite is the airway’s business class, considered as one of the most luxurious business classes, offering customized suite room environment. It was first introduced for the Doha-London route in June 2017. All Qsuite seats can be customized. By using privacy panel, passengers can create their own room. When traveling with friends or family, the T

Koreans embracing “heightism’ create lucrative niche market

SK Engineering & Construction said Thursday that it had formed a joint venture with Bloom Energy, a US-based energy firm, to produce solid oxide fuel cells from this year, a first in South Korea. According to SK E&C, it inked a joint venture agreement with Bloom Energy in September last year, cementing their plans to distribute the fuel cells and build factories in Korea.  A manufacturing facility is under construction in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, and the companies will start

SAN FRANCISCO -- Kim Tae-han, the CEO of Samsung Biologics, said Wednesday that he expects to take on contract manufacturing deals for Alzheimer’s disease treatments, and that the company will be ready when the opportunity arises. Kim, speaking to investors at JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2020 in San Francisco, said Biogen’s Alzheimer’s pipeline aducanumab has proven its efficacy through data. The only hurdle to US Food and Drug Administration approval, Kim said, was the com

Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin (left) and Samsung Biologics CEO Kim Tae-han were locked in a warm embrace in front of reporters at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2020 on Wednesday at Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. Seo and Kim, the heads of Korea’s leading biopharmaceuticals firms, said that despite the aura of competition that is often portrayed, they are actually close friends. Their relationship dates back to the early days when both of them were working at Samsung Elec

A top executive of Mahindra & Mahindra, the Indian auto giant that acquired SsangYong Motor in 2010, is in town to seek support for its ailing South Korean subsidiary, according to industry sources Thursday. M&M’s Managing Director Pawan Goenka’s visit to Seoul comes ahead of Ssangyong Motor’s board meeting slated for Jan. 30. He currently serves as chairman of SsangYong Motor’s board.A SsangYong Motor official told The Korea Herald that the company 

Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday that it aims to sell 10,100 units of the hydrogen-powered sport utility vehicle Nexo in Korea this year, with the goal of cementing its dominance in the eco-friendly vehicle market here.The Nexo sold 727 units in 2018, the year it was launched, but the number skyrocketed to 4,194 units last year. Its price begins from 68.9 million won ($59,402) in Korea.  Combined with Hyundai Motor’s first commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Tucson ix, accumulated

South Korea's outbound shipments of processed rice products shot up last year amid the booming popularity of Korean dramas, K-pop and other cultural assets abroad, data showed Thursday.Exports of these products reached $106 million in 2019, marking a sharp rise from $89 million posted a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.It also nearly doubled from $55 million posted in 2015. These products cover a wide range of foodstuff, such as snacks, noodles, drin

South Korea's auto exports moved down 1.9 percent in 2019 from a year earlier amid a global economic slowdown and a lack of new models from local producers, data showed Friday. South Korean carmakers shipped a combined 2.4 million units overseas last year, compared with 2.45 million units a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In terms of value, auto exports moved up 5.3 percent on increasing popularity of high-end cars, including eco-friend

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., on Thursday launched the Trailblazer sport utility vehicle as it strives to revive sales amid labor woes and weak demand.The Trailblazer comes in two versions -- a front-wheel drive version with a 1.2-liter gasoline e-turbo engine and a continuously variable transmission, and another with a 1.35-liter gasoline e-turbo engine -- GM Korea said in a statement.The 1.35 gasoline model is equipped with an all-wheel drive powertrain and a nine-

Global furniture giant IKEA said Wednesday that it is recalling India-made Troligtvis travel mugs due to health concerns related to chemicals in the products.The decision came amid worries that the mugs that have been sold since last year may migrate levels of dibutyl phthalate exceeding the recommended limits.  IKEA‘s Korea unit said that all customers who have bought the cups can get full refunds regardless of whether they have receipts.“We took the global recall measure so as