Korean pharmaceutical and biotech firms are mobilizing en masse for the "2026 BIO International Convention" (BIO USA), the world's largest pharmaceutical and biotech industry exhibition, to be held in San Diego from June 22 to 25. Each company plans to wage an all-out campaign for technology transfer and business expansion, leveraging their capabilities in new drug research and development (R&D) and biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing (CDMO). With past megadeals by Korean pharmaceutical and biotech firms having been triggered by partnering at global events, expectations are rising that the convention could lead to large-scale contracts in the second half of this year.
According to the industry on Monday, BIO USA is a flagship partnering event for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, organized by the U.S. Biotechnology Innovation Organization, with attendees from more than 70 countries each year. This year, some 20,000 visitors, including major global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, investment institutions, and research institutions, are expected to attend. Korean firms are also set to participate in large numbers to promote their competitiveness and seek opportunities for business cooperation with foreign companies, including attracting investment and the export and introduction of technology.
Samsung Biologics (207940.KS), Celltrion (068270.KS), and Lotte Biologics will open standalone booths at the event to highlight their CDMO competitiveness. Samsung Biologics has participated in BIO USA every year since its founding in 2011. This year, it is expected to showcase its expanded production capacity, including its U.S. plant in Rockville, and actively promote its efforts to expand its business portfolio, including "Samsung Organoids." Samsung Organoids is a service that uses tumor-replicating organoids to verify the efficacy of anticancer drug candidates in advance, officially launched last June. Celltrion will also introduce its biosimilar products being sold in the U.S. through a standalone booth. This year, going beyond biosimilars, the company plans to focus on building partnerships with global firms while promoting its competitiveness in new drug development and clinical research, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Lotte Biologics, a relative latecomer in CDMO, will set up a standalone booth to introduce its corporate vision and business capabilities. The company plans to hold a participatory event on antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), which have recently been drawing strong interest from global pharmaceutical firms, while unveiling photo and video content featuring its first plant at the Songdo Bio Campus. The aim is to introduce the production processes, floor-by-floor structure, and core facilities of the first plant, which is scheduled for completion in August, to promote its large-scale commercial production capacity and customized manufacturing competitiveness. Dong-A Socio Group will operate a joint booth with its three companies—Dong-A ST, ST Pharm, and BTGin—to introduce each company's core businesses and technological competitiveness.
Biotech firms focused on new drug development are also seeking various business opportunities, including technology transfer. At Onconic Therapeutics, CEO Kim John will personally handle the corporate presentation, highlighting clinical development achievements centered on the dual-target anticancer drug candidate nesuparib and its competitiveness as a next-generation pan-tumor anticancer drug. Oscotec (039200.KQ) will focus on promoting the competitiveness of its next-generation core pipeline, a resistance-resistant anticancer drug, and "OCT-648," a kidney fibrosis inhibitor development project. Genome & Company (314130.KQ) plans to promote the competitiveness of its ADC pipeline and expand global partnering discussions. The Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization will operate a "Korea Pavilion" during the event to provide support. This year, a total of 26 biotech firms, including Alteogen and BL Science, will participate in the Korea Pavilion, where promising companies will give presentations on an "Open Stage." The market believes that if active partnering discussions on site lead to large contracts amid a prolonged slump in the stock prices of Korean biotech firms, a stock price recovery could gain full momentum in the second half. Kim Sun-ah, a researcher at Hana Securities, forecast in a recent report, "For the pharmaceutical and biotech sector to recover its stock prices, proving growth potential in the form of technology transfer is essential," adding, "Considering the seasonality in which technology transfers are concentrated in the fourth quarter, it is necessary to pay attention to events in the second half."
