포스트코로나 도약하는 K-바이오...'위기를 기회로'
In the fight against COVID-19, demand for Korean biotech and healthcare products has been rising.
Those include coronavirus test kits and testing for developing vaccines.
Yoon Jung-min reports.
Since receiving emergency use authorization from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in March,... local COVID-19 testing kit producer BioSewoom has seen demand for its products increase, both at home and abroad.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korean biotech companies have been gaining much attention for their high quality, accurate products.
"Our test kits are currently being used in Daegu, Seoul and other local hospitals. We have been exporting our products overseas, to Russia, India, Myanmar and other countries. Demand has also been high for sample kits and research documents."
Other local test kits that have been approved for emergency use by the drug safety ministry include those made by Seegene, Solgent, Kogenebiotech and SD Biosensor.
According to the Korea Customs Service, as of April 20th, almost 157-million U.S. dollars of COVID-19 test kits have been exported, and they have been sold to 106 countries.
Korean bio-tech research and development is also in the spotlight.
Local contract research organization Knotus conducts non-clinical testing for developing new medicines,... and it has seen an increase in orders.
"Since COVID-19 has been relatively less severe in South Korea, we have been receiving a lot of orders for non-clinical testing from overseas,... especially from the U.S. and France, where there have been mass shutdowns."
South Korea has seen exports of its biohealth products, COVID-19 test kits and other virus prevention equipment jump 29-percent in April from a year earlier.
Demand is particularly high from Europe, the U.S. and other regions that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“Experts say there is high demand for Korean biotech and healthcare products because of their good quality and stable supply. They expect demand from overseas markets to increase even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News."
