The number of approvals under a South Korean fast-track scheme launched around two years ago has increased, led more recently by COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, as well as anticancer drugs. Meanwhile, a new breakthrough therapy program similar to that in the US has been introduced to prioritize and speed up regulatory reviews of innovative medicines.

A Phase IIb trial testing IMC-1 for fibromyalgia failed to reach statistical significance on the primary pain endpoint, but one cohort showed an improvement and Virios intends to pursue the drug further.

Among the strong performers, Hanmi benefitted from growth for in-house-developed metabolic disease drugs and China cold syrup sales and Daewoong was boosted by exports of botulinum toxin, while Boryung reported record quarterly sales helped by its flagship antihypertensive.

A roundup of key regulatory and policy developments in the Asia-Pacific in the first half of the year reveals broad developments across the region's diverse markets, although there seemed to be a common thread - a renewed focus on infectious diseases amid the lingering impact of the pandemic and the emergence of new threats.