CanariaBio Group Recruits Dr. Yoon Byung-hak, Expert in Bio New Drug Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Canaria Bio Group announced on the 19th that it has recruited Dr. Byung-hak Yoon, who has extensive experience in drug development targeting various indications, as the President of New Drug Development.

Dr. Byung-hak Yoon majored in pharmacology at Seoul National University College of Medicine and worked as a clinical research fellow at Harvard Medical School in the United States. He later served as Deputy Director of the JCB Institute, a joint venture between the Salk Institute in the U.S. and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, CEO of Biobetter Biologics, and CEO of Accesso Biopharma.

He has conducted diverse research and clinical development ranging from small molecule anticancer drugs to cell therapies, musculoskeletal biologics, and antiviral agents. He is a development expert who has led multiple global clinical trials and is considered one of the key figures who led the revival of HLB Group, now a major bio company, by overseeing its pharmaceutical development.

Na Han-ik, CEO of Canaria Bio M, the holding company of Canaria Bio Group, stated, “Dr. Byung-hak Yoon is a new drug development expert with a global perspective. We judged him to be the right person to manage the global Phase 3 clinical trial of oregovomab for newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patients, establish development strategies for recurrent ovarian cancer patients, and lead the expansion of indications to other cancers with CA125 overexpression,” explaining the reason for his recruitment.

Oregovomab, the core pipeline for which Canaria Bio, a subsidiary of Canaria Bio M, is conducting a global Phase 3 clinical trial, showed encouraging results in a Phase 2 trial targeting newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patients, with progression-free survival (PFS) extended by 30 months compared to the existing standard treatment, reaching 42 months.

Last week, Canaria Bio M acquired management rights of Sejong Medical, making Genencell, which is developing an oral COVID-19 treatment and where Sejong Medical is the largest shareholder, an affiliate company. With the recruitment of Dr. Byung-hak Yoon, Canaria Bio M is expected to pursue additional pipeline development.