[Reporter's View] Slow but steady wins the race

Regarding the final launch of the National Bio Commission

The Korean government has finally launched the National Bio Commission.

 

The launch of this proper control tower has come several years after the government declared the bio-health industry as a national strategic industry.

 

The news of its launch is encouraging, considering how the launch of the committee itself was almost stranded due to various issues.

 

However, regardless of the delay in its launch, the committee's top priority now should be focused on setting the right direction for its future.

 

The National Bio Committee was established to organically connect the policies being pursued individually by related organizations through cross-ministerial top-level governance.

 

This means that it should not be a mere show-off policy, but should be backed by substantial support and regulatory innovation.

 

Although Korea’s biohealth industry is growing rapidly in the global market, there are still many obstacles.

 

The overall industrial ecosystem, from new drug development to medical devices and digital healthcare, is not moving forward due to regulatory barriers.

 

In particular, Korea’s clinical approval process for the development of innovative new drugs or medical devices is still regarded as complicated and time-consuming despite the efforts of the government.

 

This is why domestic bio companies have been turning their eyes overseas.

 

The role of the National Bio Committee is clear in this context.

 

It needs to reflect the voice of industry and lead regulatory reforms to meet global standards.

 

Of course, the government has not completely neglected the bio-industry over the past few years.

 

However, there were many cases where policies lost consistency or were redundant due to each ministry’s separate affairs.

 

This was why the launch of the National Bio Committee was important.

 

It is positive that the president has personally taken the chair and organized the commission so that key ministries such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety could work closely together.

 

However, just creating an organization is not enough to solve the problem.

 

Setting clear goals and executing them quickly is of the utmost importance.

 

At the first meeting of the National Bio Committee, the government announced that it would first build a 'Korean-style bio cluster.’ Although the need for its resolution has been consistently mentioned, it is also true that doubts have been cast on its effectiveness, as it is an age-old issue that has not been resolved for various reasons over the years.

 

It is necessary to consider whether it is appropriate to launch a new committee if the committee’s goal stands at just wrapping up what has been done so far as if it were new.

 

The industry had expressed concern that the commission might have little role to play before its launch.

 

This is because the pharmaceutical and bio sector, which is a new growth engine, needs stronger leadership support.

 

The role of the National Bio Committee is simple.

 

The aim is to support companies’ focus on the development of new drugs and medical devices and to reorganize regulations in a way that promotes innovation.

 

It is essential to strategically foster next-generation technologies, such as cell and gene therapies, mRNA vaccines, and AI-based drug development, which global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are competing to invest in.

 

Rather than focusing on short-term results, policies that change the nature of the biohealth industry are necessary from a mid to long-term perspective.

 

The domestic bio-industry has much growth potential.

 

However, if the government fails to play its role, companies that run into obstacles will only experience limitations.

 

Proper support must be provided for this now.

 

Although it is late, in the right direction, there is still time for Korea’s industry to catch up.

 

It is this reporter’s hope that the launch of the National Bio Committee will mark the starting point for the establishment of such 'proper' bio policies.