July 29, 2020 – Amgen Korea, a leading company in biotechnology, today announced that it successfully ended the third Amgen Science Academy – Real World Evidence symposium between July 24 and 25, where it invited nearly 300 healthcare professionals, from home and abroad, to discuss the development and use of real world evidence in medical science.
The Amgen Science Academy is a symposium led by Amgen Medical Department to facilitate discussions on the unlimited possibility of life science based on the scientific capabilities of Amgen and suggest a direction for the development and use of innovative medicines. Launched in 2018, the annual medical symposium celebrates the third anniversary this year. The central themes that have been addressed in the past include monoclonal antibody for the first symposium and genetics for the second. This year, discussions have centered on the development and value of real-world evidence, how to develop them for specific use, and various approaches in their use. The symposium took the form of a large-scale virtual event to help healthcare professionals and international speakers to join the event from many more regions and exchange diverse opinions and views regardless of their locations and schedules.
The first day of the symposium was spared for checking the value and opportunities in the use of real -world evidence with local and international experts. Dr. Jeff Lange, Director, Center for Observational Research, Amgen JAPAC, introduced the company’s successful cases of using real world evidence to advance the development and authorization of new drugs. Professor Shin Ju-young from Sungkyunkwan University shared the value and opportunities in the use of real-world evidence and future aspiration in Korea. Then, Professor Eric David Peterson from Duke University presented the use of registries as the foundation of real-world evidence and their significance in clinical decision making process.
The second day started with a keynote speech from Brian Bradbury, Vice President and Head, Center for Observational Research, Amgen Global, who explained how to develop credible and valuable real-world evidence. He said that the use of real-world data in pharmaceutical research and development could improve the credibility of real-world evidence since there are limits in data from clinical trials to ensure the safety of a drug. He then emphasized that a platform resulting from this approach would have a clear merit not only in the drug discovery and development process but also in other research areas, such as diseases, treatment patterns and standard of care. Also, he said that Amgen has already made the best use of real-world evidence in presenting the grounds that meet the regulatory bases, leading to the faster delivery of better treatment options to patients. In the following speech, Dr. Erich Wohlhieter, Executive Director, Digital Health and Innovation, Amgen Global, spoke about how to harness the power of the state-of-the art technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data analytics, in generating real world evidence.
“With medical information being collectible in a digital format, the value and opportunities in the use of real-world evidence is expanding and taking higher priority among regulatory authorities, including FDA,” said Dr. Victoria Elegant, Vice President, Medical, Amgen JAPAC. “As we have already made the best use of real world data not only in the drug authorization procedures but also in the expansion of indication, the design of clinical study and the confirmation of safety since a decade ago, it was meaningful for us to host this year’s Amgen Science Academy as a venue for in-depth discussions with healthcare professionals in Korea about substantial opportunities in the use of real world evidence.”
“Amgen’s effort to bring a breakthrough treatment to therapeutic areas where treatment options are limited or not available has built on our biology and genetics-first strategy in research and development to maximize our scientific capabilities,” said Sang Noh, General Manager, Amgen Korea. “With the annual Amgen Science Academy, we have tried to develop discussions beyond certain therapeutic areas towards various scientific topics that can be comprehensively applied to research endeavors in medical science. This year, we invited healthcare professionals into a large-scale virtual symposium as we now live in the new normal. Amgen Korea will continue to host various symposiums for medical science as a way to fulfill our mission—to serve patients.”
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About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be the world’s largest independent biotechnology company, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
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About Amgen Korea
Amgen Korea was established in November 2015 to further develop Amgen’s clinical pipeline which offers a wide range of products for bone disease, cardiovascular, oncology/hematology, nephrology, inflammation, neuroscience treatment and biosimilars, as well as to provide innovative medicines to patients in Korea who are suffering from severe diseases. As a member of the biotechnical industry, Amgen Korea will continue to contribute to the development of the Korean pharmaceutical industry by carrying forward diversified and positive activities.
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Amgen Korea
Min-Jung Jung (mjung02@amgen.com)