Boryung (003850.KS) has begun supplying the cancer drug Alimta (active ingredient: pemetrexed) to Taiwanese pharmaceutical company Lotus Pharmaceuticals, marking a full-scale push into its global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business.
Boryung said Tuesday it has started supplying Alimta to Lotus. The deal marks the first case of Boryung's global CDMO business taking off in earnest. After signing a CDMO contract with Lotus last year, the company completed quality verification and approval procedures before carrying out the first supply through its Yesan Campus, a global production facility. Boryung plans to use this as a springboard to accelerate the expansion of its global cytotoxic cancer drug supply and CDMO business.
Boryung has steadily acquired original cancer drug brand businesses, starting with the acquisition of Gemzar in 2020, followed by Alimta and others. Last year, the company also signed a contract to acquire the entire domestic and global business of Taxotere. In line with this, Boryung has been upgrading its quality management systems and production infrastructure to meet global standards, centered on the Yesan Campus, which has obtained EU-GMP certification.
In particular, as the importance of securing stable cytotoxic cancer drug production capacity within the global supply chain grows, Boryung's competitive edge lies in its in-house capability to fully handle the production technology of original products at its own manufacturing facilities. After acquiring the domestic Alimta business, Boryung completely transferred and internalized the production technology to its own facilities, and has been improving the existing powder formulation into a liquid formulation to enhance product competitiveness and profitability, the company said.
Boryung plans to extend this experience to the global market. Based on its accumulated experience in internalizing original product manufacturing technology and its formulation improvement capabilities gained through domestic business operations, the company aims to build a business model that can enhance product competitiveness and profitability in the global CDMO market. The plan is to establish a CDMO structure that goes beyond simple contract manufacturing to secure both production efficiency and quality competitiveness.
The global market has recently been grappling with worsening shortages of cytotoxic cancer drugs. Stoppages at major production sites, instability in active pharmaceutical ingredient supply, and a lack of manufacturing facilities have combined to cause repeated shortages of essential cancer drugs such as cisplatin and carboplatin. As a result, treatment delays for cancer patients are becoming a reality. Health authorities around the world, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have designated cytotoxic cancer drugs as essential medicines and emphasized securing a stable supply chain as a key task.
Building on the production and quality capabilities accumulated through its global original cancer drug business operations, Boryung is pushing to expand its role in the supply chain as a global specialist in cytotoxic cancer drugs. The company plans to strengthen its stable production and supply capabilities centered on cytotoxic cancer drugs and actively expand global partnerships.
"With supply chain instability recurring in the global market recently, the importance of capabilities to stably produce and supply pharmaceuticals is growing even more," said Kim Sung-jin, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Boryung. "Particularly in the specialty pharmaceuticals sector such as cytotoxic cancer drugs, production stability and quality management systems are becoming key elements of global market competitiveness."
He added, "Boryung plans to establish itself as a trusted supply partner in the global market based on its accumulated experience in internalizing original product manufacturing technology, quality management capabilities, and global-level production infrastructure gained through domestic business operations. Going forward, the CDMO business will also be pursued in a direction that continuously expands its role within the global pharmaceutical supply chain, beyond mere production expansion."
