Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, Signs Business Agreement with Swiss Pharmaceutical Giant Novartis

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, who is visiting Europe, visited Novartis in Basel, Switzerland on the 28th and held a meeting with Patrick Horber, President of International Innovative Medicines, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for mutual cooperation. The signing ceremony was held with the attendance of Governor Lee Cheol-woo, President Patrick Horber, and Yoo Byung-jae, CEO of Novartis Korea.

This visit to Novartis is particularly meaningful as it seeks to lead the bio-economy era by completing the full-cycle value chain of the bio and vaccine industry in connection with the designation of Andong and Pohang regions as bio-specialized complexes last year, and as part of efforts to improve the health of the residents, exploring concrete cooperation plans for mutual cooperation and win-win development.

Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo, who visited the Novartis headquarters in Switzerland, is shaking hands and taking a commemorative photo with Patrick Hover, President of International Innovative Pharmaceuticals (left), after signing a business agreement.

Novartis is a pharmaceutical company focused on innovative medicines, contributing to alleviating the societal burden of diseases through outstanding research and development leadership and improving patient access to treatments.

Notably, it is developing innovative new drugs based on advanced therapeutic platforms and data science in the fields of cardiovascular metabolism, immunological diseases, cancer, central nervous system, cell, and gene therapies.

In Korea, Novartis makes great efforts to discover and support companies with innovative ideas, contribute to industrial development through research with domestic clinical trial centers and hospitals, and create positive influence by providing various healing programs for patients and caregivers.

Governor Lee Cheol-woo introduced the ‘Gyeongbuk (Andong·Pohang) Bio·Vaccine Industry Specialized Complex’ project promoted by Gyeongbuk Province, the vaccine cold chain construction project linked with the new airport construction, and various infrastructures including major industries, key companies, and the new airport in the province during this visit.

Additionally, both sides agreed to cooperate on promoting cardiovascular health, managing high-risk groups for dyslipidemia, sharing information mutually, collaborating and networking with local companies, and decided to maintain continuous exchanges.

Patrick Horber, President of International Innovative Medicines, said, “Korea is a priority country that Novartis focuses on, and we are very pleased to contribute to improving the cardiovascular health of the residents through this partnership with Gyeongsangbuk-do. This MOU will serve as a cornerstone for actively cooperating to improve the health of Gyeongbuk residents in Korea, where the burden of cardiovascular disease is high, and for contributing to the development of the local health industry.”

Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, “Novartis is a company that makes great efforts to improve patient access to innovative treatments and is expected to greatly help improve the health of our residents. As a global bio company, we request cooperation with local companies and the successful establishment of the Andong·Pohang bio-specialized complex in Gyeongbuk. In response, Gyeongbuk Province will spare no support.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.