J&J North Asia chief urges regulatory reform to unlock Korea’s ‘innovation hub’ potential

While Korea has established itself as a global leader in industries ranging from semiconductors to shipbuilding, its healthcare sector lags significantly in making innovative treatments accessible to patients, said the top executive of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (J&J IM) in North Asia.

Christian Rodseth, Managing Director of J&J Innovative Medicine North Asia, discusses patient access to innovative medicines, regulatory reform, and Korea’s role as a regional innovation hub during a recent interview with Korea Biomedical Review at the company’s Korean headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. (Credit: J&J Innovative Medicine)

Marking his first anniversary as the Managing Director of J&J IM North Asia, Christian Rodseth recently met with Korea Biomedical Review to discuss the company’s strategic direction and the challenges facing the Korean pharmaceutical market.

While acknowledging Korea’s sophisticated medical infrastructure and rapid economic growth, Rodseth pointed to a stark disparity in drug accessibility compared to other developed nations.

"Currently, only about 27 percent of the innovative products J&J launches globally are introduced in Korea, whereas the figure stands at 87 percent in the U.S.," Rodseth said. "This effectively means that nearly 70 percent of our innovative medicines are not reaching Korean patients."

Rodseth highlighted that the average time from regulatory approval to reimbursement for new drugs in Korea is approximately 23 months.

He argued that this delay is partly due to outdated valuation metrics used by health authorities, specifically the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).

"The current ICER threshold is calculated based on GDP data from 2007," Rodseth noted. "Since then, Korea’s GDP has more than doubled and if the assessment criteria do not reflect the current economic reality, it becomes difficult for innovative drugs to be recognized for their true value."

He emphasized that investment in innovative medicines in Korea accounts for only 0.09 percent of GDP, a figure significantly lower than the 0.78 percent seen in the U.S.

Rodseth argued that adjusting these valuation standards is essential not only for patient access but for sustaining the cycle of innovation, noting that J&J reinvests 19.4 percent of its global revenue back into research and development.

Synergy in North Asia and open innovation

Rodseth currently oversees the North Asia cluster, comprising Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. He explained that these markets were grouped because they share similar characteristics -- highly developed economies that paradoxically face 20 to 40-month delays in securing reimbursement for new medicines.

By managing these markets together, J&J aims to streamline strategies to accelerate access and improve disease awareness, particularly in mental health, where suicide rates remain a critical issue across the region.

Despite the regulatory hurdles, Rodseth reaffirmed Korea’s status as a key "innovation hub" for the company.

He highlighted the role of JLABS Korea, an incubator platform that supports early-stage biotech companies, and the company's no-strings-attached partnership model.

He cited the licensing agreement with LigaChem Biosciences for an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and the ongoing partnership with Yuhan Corp. regarding the lung cancer drug lazertinib as prime examples of successful open innovation.

"We do not possess every solution internally," Rodseth said. "Our goal is to be a genuine partner to Korean biotech firms, helping them navigate global regulatory approvals and late-stage development so that more patients can benefit from these discoveries."

Pipeline priorities: oncology and immunology

Regarding the company’s pipeline, Rodseth expressed strong confidence in J&J’s oncology portfolio. He specifically highlighted Rybrevant (amivantamab), a bispecific antibody for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Rodseth welcomed the recent decision by the Cancer Disease Review Committee (CDRC) to pass Rybrevant as a second-line treatment for patients with EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutations.

He also pointed to the potential of the Rybrevant and Leclaza (lazertinib) combination therapy for first-line treatment, citing the MARIPOSA study which demonstrated statistically significant improvement in overall survival compared to standard osimertinib monotherapy.

"I lost my grandmother to lung cancer, so I often think about how different the outcome might have been if treatments like Rybrevant existed then," Rodseth shared personally. "We are committed to expanding indications for Rybrevant and proving its value to regulators."

He also outlined plans to introduce advanced therapies for multiple myeloma, including Talvey, Tecvayli, and the CAR-T therapy Carvykti, alongside expanding the immunology portfolio with Tremfya for inflammatory bowel disease.

Addressing the Incheon vaccine plant closure

When asked about the recent decision to withdraw J&J’s vaccine manufacturing facility in Incheon, Rodseth stated that the move was part of a global network strategy review. He assured that the company is working closely with regulatory authorities to ensure a stable supply of medicines during the transition and pledged fair treatment for affected employees in compliance with Korean labor laws.

Concluding the conference, Rodseth expressed his deep appreciation for the Korean lifestyle, humorously noting his reliance on Korea's "dawn delivery" e-commerce systems. However, his final message returned to the core mission of his tenure.

"Healthcare investment yields a return of $2-4 for every dollar spent," Rodseth said. "If we can modernize the reimbursement environment to properly value innovation, Korea has every potential to be not just an economic leader, but a global leader in healthcare access."