Dong-A ST said Wednesday that it has acquired AbTis, a company specializing in antibody drug conjugate (ADC).

Dong-A ST did not disclose an acquisition cost for the deal.

AbTis has developed AbClick, an ADC technology that can site-selectively conjugate drugs without antibody modification.

ADC is an anti-cancer treatment that effectively eliminates cancer cells by combining antibodies that bind to specific target antigens on the surface of cancer cells and drugs that have cell-killing functions.

In recent years, global pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Merck, AbbVie, and BMS have made big deals worth billions of dollars to secure ADC therapies.

The global market for ADCs is expected to grow from $5.9 billion in 2022 to $13 billion in 2026, according to global market research firm Research and Markets.

Going forward, Dong-A ST plans to develop ApTis' ADC anticancer pipeline and expand its Antibody Radionuclide Conjugate (ARC), Antibody PROTAC Conjugate (APC), and Immune-Stimulating Antibody Conjugate (ISAC) platforms.

In particular, Dong-A ST plans to expand into the ADC Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) business by securing Dong-A ST's unique ADC platform technology in the long term.

"Competition among global pharmaceutical companies to develop and secure ADC technologies that will change the paradigm of cancer treatment is accelerating, and we are acquiring ApTis to preempt the market and secure our competitiveness," said Park Jae-hong, Dong-A ST R&D General Manager. "We will do our best to provide patients with optimal treatment options as we leapfrog into the global pharmaceutical industry through innovative drug development."