SAN DIEGO, Cali. -- By Kim Chan-hyuk/Korea Biomedical Review correspondent -- Samsung Biologics expects the antibody drug market to continue to grow at a high rate of 10 percent thanks to the expansion of the therapeutic area and the commercialization of bispecific antibody drugs.

John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics, held a news conference on the sideline of the BIO International Convention (BIO USA) 2024 at the San Diego Convention Center on Wednesay, local time. 

When asked about the outlook for the antibody therapeutics market, Rim said antibody drugs, which were centered on anti-cancer drugs, were expanding to immune diseases and neurological diseases. 

“New treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's are being developed, and bispecific antibodies have also emerged. For this reason, the antibody drug market will continue to grow at a rate of more than 10 percent,” Rim told reporters.

“Bispecific antibody drugs require a larger amount of production.”

Rim noted that Samsung Biologics recently secured 16 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies by market capitalization as clients. This is an increase of two from 14 in 2023.

According to Evaluate Pharma, the top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies by market capitalization at the end of 2023 were Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, MSD, AbbVie, Roche, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Amgen, Sanofi, Vertex, BMS, Gilead, Regeneron, CSL, GSK, Daiichi Sankyo, Takeda, and Moderna.

“Our clients are paying more attention to contract manufacturing (CMO) and contract development (CDO),” Rim noted. There were cases where Samsung Biologics started with CDO services for a client and then moved on to CMO, he added.

"The biggest concern for pharma companies is the lack of follow-on pipeline as patents expire. This is an issue that big pharma companies like Pfizer, Roche, MSD, AbbVie, and others are all facing, which will have a positive impact on our order growth."

Rim also mentioned that Samsung Biologics is actively constructing Plant 5 and receiving orders for ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates). Plant 5 broke ground in April 2023 and is expected to set a new record with a total construction period of 24 months, about a year shorter than the similarly sized Plant 3.

“Plant 5 is a state-of-the-art facility that combines the strengths of our existing plants, with a capacity of 180,000L. It has already garnered high interest from global clients,” Rim said. “We will complete Plant 5, which boasts world-class production efficiency, in April next year, opening the era of the second biocampus in earnest.”

Samsung Biologics plans to complete a dedicated antibody/ADC production facility by December this year.

Rim went on to say that ADCs are attracting attention as the next generation of anti-cancer drugs and that Samsung Biologics has a competitive edge in operational efficiency, quality control capabilities, and a stable supply chain system.

“We are currently in discussions with several customers to receive orders for ADC products, and we will be able to share good news soon,” he said.

He noted that the biopharma market is moving rapidly due to the impact of the U.S. Biosecure Act, which aims to prevent Chinese CDMOs from receiving U.S. federal funds.

“Recently, the number of inquiries from various clients for orders has more than doubled. We will continue to work hard to fulfill the market demand," he said.

At BIO USA 2024, Samsung Biologics unveiled a new CDO platform called S-Tensify, along with a CDO service named SelecTailor.

Rim said the company already has customers using the service.

Samsung Biologics posted a record revenue and operating profit in the first quarter of 2024. In the first quarter, the company reported revenue of 946.9 billion won and operating profit of 213.3 billion won, up 31 percent and 15 percent year-on-year, respectively.

“Higher utilization rates at our Plant 4 and large-scale CMO contracts with big pharmas are the main growth factors,” Rim said. “We expect to continue our double-digit growth this year.”