AI and advanced biotechnology are reshaping South Korea’s med-tech sector, but great technology alone is not enough to build a successful medical device company, speakers said at MedTech Innovator’s Medtech Spotlight: New Impact Korea 2026.

T-cell engager company Kali Therapeutics Inc. licensed its lead product, CD19/BCMA/CD3 trispecific antibody KT-501, to Sanofi SA in a global deal that could be worth more than $1.2 billion. The San Mateo, Calif.-based biotech first emerged in 2024 and moved KT-501 into a phase Ia trial last week to treat adults with rheumatoid arthritis.

Oryon Cell Therapies, named after the Orion constellation used for navigation at night, emerged from stealth mode to announce a new round of funding and to present data from the phase Ib/IIa study of its neuron replacement therapy in patients with Parkinson’s disease at the 20th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases.

In a competitive and still-needy space where Apogee Therapeutics Inc. CEO Michael Henderson noted that “even modestly differentiated products are quickly becoming blockbusters,” his firm’s IL-13 antibody zumilokibart (zumi, APG-777) has turned up satisfying phase II data in part A of the phase II atopic dermatitis (AD) experiment called Apex in moderate to severe disease. “We’re still digesting the data,” Henderson added, pointing out that the results proved better than Apogee expected at both time intervals tested.

Overall, results from the phase III Valor trial testing Lyme disease vaccine PF-07307405 “strengthen confidence” in the candidate, according to partners Pfizer Inc. and Valneva SE, with the big pharma now looking toward regulatory submissions. Investors, however, focused on the fact that the study, which demonstrated more than 70% efficacy in preventing Lyme disease in individuals, ages 5 and older, failed to hit the statistical criterion for the first prespecified analysis.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons, particularly in the substantia nigra. This neurodegeneration is linked to the abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein, a protein that forms toxic aggregates and spreads between cells, damaging them. At the 20th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases (AD/PD), held from March 17 to 21, 2026, in Copenhagen, several strategies were presented that aim to modify the course of the disease and offer real alternatives to purely symptomatic treatments.