Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea, Successfully Concludes 'GBC 2026,' Marking a Great Leap in Bio

– 5,600 participants from 19 countries discuss global bio innovation and the path forward –

– Strengthened global regulatory cooperation, with a total of 23 meetings held with overseas regulators and industry, including 5 regulatory cooperation meetings –

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- This is an article published in The Korea Herald:

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea (MFDS, Minister Oh Yu-Kyoung) announced that it has successfully concluded the "2026 Global Bio Conference (GBC)," held under the theme "The Great Leap in Bio, Accelerating Innovation" from Wednesday, 26 August to Friday, 28 August at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas.

Now in its 12th edition, this year's GBC brought together approximately 5,600* participants — including regulatory authorities, pharmaceutical and biotech industry professionals, and academic experts in the biopharmaceutical field from 19 countries around the world. Together with 75 overseas experts, participants from Korea and abroad shared the latest technology and development trends in the bio field and global regulatory policy, and discussed innovation and future directions for a great leap in the bio industry.

* A total of 75 biopharmaceutical experts from 19 countries gave presentations, with approximately 5,600 participants from academia, industry and regulatory authorities attending online and offline (Advanced Biopharmaceuticals Policy and Quality Forum: 483; Vaccine Forum: 462; Recombinant Protein Products Forum: 591; and others)

In particular, this year's GBC strengthened regulatory innovation in step with advances in cutting-edge bio technology, while also deepening international regulatory cooperation through 5 cooperation meetings among regulatory authorities, 16 meetings between 9 domestic companies and overseas regulatory authorities, and 2 meetings between overseas companies and MFDS — supporting K-Bio's entry into the global market and expanding the cooperative network among regulatory authorities.

[Innovation] Accelerating the Great Leap in Bio through Advanced Technology and Regulatory Innovation

This year's GBC held wide-ranging discussions on the latest technology trends at home and abroad, and on corresponding regulatory response strategies, in step with fast-evolving innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced biopharmaceuticals, and with changes in the biopharmaceutical development environment.

In addition, through field-specific forums on vaccines, recombinant protein products and advanced biopharmaceuticals, along with a range of specialized programmes, the conference shared the latest R&D trends and approval/review case studies, and explored ways to build a reasonable regulatory environment so that innovative biopharmaceuticals can be developed swiftly, expanding treatment opportunities for patients.

"GBC Special: K-Bio Innovation Leaders Talk," which brought together companies leading Korea's bio industry, shared their experience and successful strategies in taking on global markets, and exchanged views on the innovation, challenges and future direction needed for K-Bio to lead the global market.

[Cooperation] Strengthening Cooperation among Regulatory Authorities and Supporting K-Bio's Global Expansion

Global regulators from Canada, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries shared their countries' approval and review systems, the latest policy trends, and cases of information exchange and joint cooperation among global regulatory authorities at the "Regulatory Workshop," and exchanged views on ways to strengthen international cooperation.

Regulatory authorities from Korea, the United States, Japan and Europe also discussed the current status and key issues of approval and review systems for recombinant protein products, as well as ways to cooperate on reviews.

In particular, at the joint workshop with Japan's regulatory authority — now in its 9th year — participants shared and discussed the latest review cases for a range of products incorporating advanced bio technologies, including the world's first approved induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) therapy, coordinating the direction of global review and regulation in the field of advanced biopharmaceuticals.

In addition, at a bilateral meeting with Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM), the two sides discussed cooperation on the stable supply of source plasma and, building on regulatory trust in the field of drug approval and review, Korea proposed being registered as a reference country for Indonesia, agreeing to continue working-level discussions to put this into practice.

Meanwhile, 1:1 meetings were held between global regulators from Canada, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia and Korean companies seeking to export, providing a venue to support exports by exploring overseas approval and licensing strategies.

Building on the network of cooperation with experts and regulatory authorities from Korea and abroad built through this year's GBC, MFDS plans to continue regulatory innovation in the biopharmaceutical field and to actively support Korean companies' entry into global markets.

MFDS also stated that it will continue to develop GBC into a leading international event for sharing innovative technologies and regulatory policy in the global biopharmaceutical field, and will make every effort so that the Republic of Korea can leap forward as a nation leading global biopharmaceutical regulation and industrial innovation.

SOURCE The Korea Herald