Samsung Biologics said Wednesday that it has signed a CDO (contract development organization) agreement with ImmuneOncia to develop and manufacture five more immunotherapy cancer drug substances of the latter.

Samsung Biologics plans to carry out development procedures, including cell line development, clinical sample production, and IND submission, for the five substances.

Samsung Biologics CEO Kim Tae-han (left) and ImmuneOncia CEO Song Yun-jeong signed a CDO contract at Samsung Biologics’ head office in Songdo District, Incheon, on Wednesday. (Samsung Biologics)

It is the second CDO agreement signed between the two companies. In January 2018, Samsung Biologics began developing IMC-002, an immunotherapy drug of ImmuneOncia that targets CD47.

ImmuneOncia submitted the investigational new drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 10 for phase 1 clinical trials and won approval on April 10. The company is conducting a phase 2 clinical trial in Korea for IMC-001 that targets PD-L1 and phase 1 trial in the U.S. for IMC-002.

Samsung Biologics said it would push to make more win-win examples with biotechnology companies. CDO provides development of cell line, process, and formulation to small and medium-sized biotechnology companies, which saves time and money in developing new drugs and allows focusing on the pipeline expansion.

“We are preparing new immuno-oncology drugs following PD-L1 and CD47, which are in clinical stages,” ImmuneOncia CEO Song Yun-jeong said. “We have high expectations of the CDO accord, as there have been successful collaboration cases between the two companies,”

Samsung Biologics CEO Kim Tae-han said, “Our CDO service allows biotechnology firms to secure development and production capabilities and speed up further pipeline development.”

Kim added that Samsung Biologics expects to form an environment where biotechnology companies can co-exist through its role as an incubator for new drug development.

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