Ongoing policy issues in the U.S., including the Inflation Reduction Act and recent proposals under President Donald Trump’s administration, have wide ranging implications for the global biopharmaceutical industry, speakers at Bio Korea 2025 said May 8, including a heightened need for all biotechs to draft regulatory strategies.

South Korean government and biopharmaceutical industry representatives urged American policymakers May 7 to refrain from imposing tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, and to spare allies if pharma tariffs are deemed necessary. Both Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare on May 4 and the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization on May 6 submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce in response to its ongoing investigation of pharmaceutical imports.

Among three Korean biotech companies slated to sell shares on the Korea Exchange this month, Immuneoncia Therapeutics Inc. is the latest to price a ₩33.9 billion (US$24 million) Kosdaq IPO for May 19. Regenerative cell therapy maker Organoid Sciences Ltd. and antibody-drug conjugate specialist Intocell Inc. are also gearing up for respective Kosdaq listings starting next week.

Total biopharma financings for the first four months of 2025 reached $15.48 billion, a 71% decline from $53.49 billion in 2024. Biopharma companies raised $2.4 billion in April 2025, reflecting a 37% drop from March's $3.82 billion.

First quarter 2025 results presentations were the first chance analysts have had to quiz pharma companies in public about their exposure to the threat of U.S. import tariffs and what action they are taking to mitigate the risks. BioWorld reporters have listened in to the analyst meetings and filleted out responses to the tariff question by CEOs and senior executives, to get an overview of how the sector as a whole is responding. One thing is very clear: While pharmaceuticals are for now exempt from tariffs, the industry has been bracing for their imposition whilst at the same time lobbying strongly against them, on the grounds that drug shortages could result.