Only Home Appliances and IT?… K-Healthcare Heads to CES

New 'Digital Health' Section Added to Innovation Awards and Exhibition
Major Corporations Like Lotte and SK Also Enter Healthcare Arena
Companies in DTx, Electronic Medicine, AI, and More Set Up Booths

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, CES 2023, finally opened on the 5th (local time). As the name commonly used for electronics and IT exhibitions suggests, CES has traditionally been dominated by home appliances and IT. However, recently, the healthcare industry has become one of the main pillars of CES, prompting various companies in Korea, from large corporations to startups, to seek new opportunities at CES.

According to related industries on the 6th, this year at CES, the 'Digital Health' category was newly established for the first time in the 'Innovation Awards,' which evaluates and selects exhibits before the exhibition. Additionally, a digital health section was newly set up in the main exhibition hall, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) North Hall, reflecting the growing importance of the healthcare industry. As digital transformation progresses domestically, various companies are also challenging CES, an event somewhat unfamiliar to the pharmaceutical and bio industries.

Overview of the SK Biopharm booth set up at CES 2023 held in Las Vegas, USA (Photo by SK Biopharm)

Lotte Healthcare, established in March last year but without specific activities, will reveal its full-fledged business content for the first time through the large-scale event CES. The protagonist is the personalized health management platform 'CAZZLE.' The platform aims to create a healthcare-specialized platform that collects scattered health information like putting together a puzzle to improve customers' healthy lifestyles, providing personalized diagnosis and recommendations that lead to purchases. It has already started collaborations with Theragen Health to build a genetic analysis testing system and with Ontact Health for diagnostic algorithms. The beta service is scheduled to start in April, with a full launch planned around August.

SK Biopharm, which declared its entry into digital healthcare with the vision of becoming a 'Global Top 10 Healthcare' company, will showcase five types of wearable devices: 'Zero Glass,' 'Zero Wired,' 'Zero Headband,' 'Zero Earbud,' and 'Zero Headset.' These wearables collect patients' brain waves, electrocardiograms, and movement data in real-time, analyze them through an application (app), detect epilepsy seizure occurrences, and assist in disease management, aiming for complete seizure elimination (Zero Seizure) in epilepsy patients. The company plans to begin full-scale clinical trials starting with Zero Wired within this year. Through this, SK Biopharm aims to create synergy with 'cenobamate,' an epilepsy drug it developed and which has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Aerial view of LifeSemantics' CES exhibition booth (Photo by LifeSemantics)

The digital therapeutics (DTx) industry, which is expected to soon receive approval for the 'first digital therapeutic device (DTx),' is also participating extensively in CES. Emotive, developing the DTx 'StarRuckers' that enhances cognitive ability through games, has set up a booth in Eureka Park, a startup-specialized exhibition area, to promote its product. Life Semantics also operates a program in Eureka Park where visitors can experience the respiratory rehabilitation DTx 'Redpill Sumton.' Kim Ki-min, planning and operations team leader at Emotive attending the event, said, "Among about 50 companies participating in the K-Startup integrated pavilion organized by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, about one-third are bio and healthcare companies," adding, "Many places are set up so that individuals can enjoy experiencing solutions tailored to their characteristics."

Additionally, Rowan, with the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) DTx 'Superbrain,' set up a booth in Eureka Park, while EverX with the musculoskeletal disorder DTx 'Mora,' and Hi with the generalized anxiety disorder DTx 'Angzirex,' also established booths in the LVCC North Hall to promote their products at CES.

RuleLab, a spin-off company from Samsung Electronics' in-house venture 'C-Lab,' is exhibiting various AI skin analysis solutions such as the 'Premium Lumini SDK,' Lumini kiosk, and smart mirror, and operates an experience zone where visitors can try them out. Yusang-wook, CTO of RuleLab, said, "The technology applied in the Lumini SDK won an Innovation Award at CES 2022 and is leading the global market," adding, "We will expand our dominance in the AI skin analysis market based on differentiated AI technology born from continuous research and development."

Ybrain, an electronic medicine platform company, is also showcasing electronic medicines for depression 'Mindsteem,' migraine 'Dupang,' and stress 'Pola.' In particular, Mindsteem has applied for De Novo approval from the FDA and is expected to use CES as a stepping stone for entering the U.S. market.