Founder and CEO

Ko-Chung Lin

Ko-Chung Lin, Ph.D.

Founder, Chief Executive Officer and US General Manager

  • The success rate is low. With this in mind, we knew that to increase the success rate of our company and reduce the risk of failure, we would have to pursue an integrated biotech company, together with government involvement.

About Dr. Lin


PharmaEssentia was founded not in a high-tech lab or with massive capital—but through the vision of Dr. Ko-Chung Lin, a scientist committed to changing lives.


Originally from Taichung, Taiwan, Dr. Lin earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from National Taiwan Normal University. He spent ten years teaching, balancing his passion for education with his academic ambitions.


Driven to advance his research, Dr. Lin later moved to the United States, where he earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Missouri in just over three years. He then completed postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan.


Throughout his academic journey, Dr. Lin co-authored around 10 peer-reviewed publications, including work published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) as full paper. Dr. Lin went on to hold senior R&D positions at Monsanto–Searle and Biogen, where he led teams in developing breakthrough drug candidates and is credited as an inventor on more than 50 issued patents. His deep industry experience and scientific vision laid the foundation for PharmaEssentia’s innovative pipeline and ongoing pursuit of excellence in drug discovery and development.


In the late 1990s, as Taiwan set its sights on biotechnology as a cornerstone of national growth through the “Two Trillion, Twin Star” initiative, Dr. Lin was called upon by senior government leaders to help turn that vision into reality. He made a courageous and deeply personal decision—to leave the familiar and return to his homeland, not for comfort, but for purpose. He then spent almost five years to raise the first USD 15M including Developing Fund.




Current Position


  • Director and CEO, PharmaEssentia Corporation
  • Director and CEO, PharmaEssentia USA Corporation
  • Chairperson, PharmaEssentia Japan KK
  • Executive Director, PharmaEssentia Biotechnology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
  • Chairperson, PharmaEssentia Korea Corporation
  • Director, PharmaEssentia Singapore Pte Ltd.
  • Director, Panco Healthcare Co., Ltd.
  • Director, PharmaEssentia Innovation Research Center, Inc.




Experience


  • Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of Missouri
  • Former Head of Adentri™ Program & Pegylated-Avonex™ Program, Biogen Inc.
  • The lead inventor of PEG-IFN b (Plegridy), Biogen Inc.