Singapore: Korea's National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) has inked a deal with UK's National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) to promote and standardize biological medicines and diagnostics, and for maintaining excellence in technical expertise and knowledge.

The deal aims to promote biological standardization through international collaborative studies, and to pursue areas of mutual benefit, from access to, optimization of processing and transport of material, to building regulatory competence by exchange of scientific experts and joint workshops. The MoU also helps to enhance the global reach for both sides and highlights the role NIBSC plays in assuring the quality of biological medicines around the world.

The pact was finalized in a recent event hosted by the World Health Organization's annual Expert Committee on Biological Standardization (ECBS) conference in Switzerland. The event is considered as a major event in the field of global standardization of biological medicines.

Dr Christian Schneider, director, NIBSC, said the MoU was "an exciting foundation for closer cooperation between the two institutions. We operate in a global environment and this is an excellent example of the international visibility and engagement both of NIBSC and NIFDS. It further develops a fruitful relationship that both Institutes have established and maintained over many years."

Dr Yeowon Sohn, director general of the NIFDS, said: "Korea and UK at the country level have established a close partnership in various fields including politics, economy, culture as well as science and technology. On a side note, it has been already 130 years since both countries entered into an official relationship. The NIFDS and NIBSC, as WHO CC, also have been collaborating for the improvement of global public health, particularly, in the area of biological standardization.

Dr Sohn added that the MoU will become a catalyst to facilitate the establishment of closer and mutually beneficial relationship between both sides based on the recognition of the indispensable role of biomedicines in the treatment and prevention of diseases, and the common goal in standardization of biologics. He also mentioned that the agreement will provide a framework for bothe the countries to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the coming years through collaborative researches, expertise exchange and information sharing in pursuit of shared goals and visions as public health organizations.