Roche to invest $478 million in Korea clinical trials over 5 years

Recognizing Korea's top-tier clinical infrastructure and high-quality data production capabilities, global pharmaceutical company Roche signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to invest 710 billion won ($478 million) over the next five years.

Ministry of Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong (left) and Roche Head of Pharma International Jorg Rupp hold a signed memorandum of understanding to invest 710 billion won in the clinical research and development sector of Korea over the next five years. (Credit: MOHW)

This is the first time the ministry has attracted such a large investment from a foreign pharmaceutical company.

Under the agreement, Roche will conduct global clinical trials in Korea for common and intractable diseases as well as advanced biopharmaceuticals. The company also plans to train R&D professionals and identify and support promising Korean biohealth companies through open innovation. The open innovation strategy includes exploring promising pipelines and expanding opportunities for joint development or technology transfer.

The collaboration was initiated by Roche. The company, which had been considering establishing an Asian clinical trial hub, highly evaluated Korea's clinical research competitiveness and approached the government first.

"The memorandum of understanding will be an opportunity to elevate Korea's clinical trial competitiveness while supporting the rapid growth and global expansion of promising Korean biohealth companies," Ministry of Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said.

Roche Head of Pharma International Jörg Rupp also said, "The cooperation with the Korean government will serve as a catalyst to maximize synergies between the two parties and strengthen the core competitiveness of Korea's biohealth industry.”

Global pharmaceutical companies' investment in clinical research in Korea has been growing rapidly. According to the 2025 R&D and Investment Status Report by the Korean Research-based Pharma Industry Association (KRPIA), multinational pharmaceutical companies invested 1.03 trillion won in clinical research in Korea in 2024, up 74 percent from 596.2 billion won in 2020.

Korea's top-tier human resources and strong clinical infrastructure provide the foundation for this growth.

In a list of 379 highly cited researchers worldwide published last year by Clarivate, a global academic information analytics company, 10 Korean researchers were named in the clinical research field, more than China with seven and Japan with three.

Seoul's high concentration of major hospitals is also creating synergy. The network of large medical institutions centered on tertiary general hospitals, fast patient recruitment, and standardized data management systems are cited as key factors in gaining the trust of global pharmaceutical companies.

Based on this infrastructure, Seoul ranked first in global clinical trial city rankings for seven consecutive years starting in 2017. In 2024, it fell to second place behind Beijing due to the impact of the medical dispute but remained ahead of Shanghai and Houston.

Cost competitiveness is another major factor. According to a global clinical trial application market report, clinical trial costs in Korea are estimated to be 30 to 40 percent lower than in the United States and Japan, and 10 to 20 percent lower than in Taiwan and Singapore.