[Edaily Reporter Song Young-doo] The domestic pharmaceutical and biotech industry is seeking to use “BIO USA (BIO International Convention),” the world’s largest biotech industry event, as a springboard for a rebound. While the KOSDAQ biotech sector has been sluggish this year amid geopolitical risks and a process of separating the wheat from the chaff among individual stocks, expectations are growing that this event could serve as a key catalyst to revive frozen investor sentiment if it leads to major technology exports (license-outs, L/O).

The market’s focus on BIO USA goes beyond mere exhibition participation. BIO USA is the world’s largest partnering event, bringing together global big pharma companies, biotech firms, investors, and licensing experts to discuss joint research, technology transfer, and investment collaboration. Since there are numerous cases where meetings initiated at the event lead to major licensing agreements after months of negotiations, the industry views each on-site meeting as a potential starting point for the next big deal.

This year’s BioUSA will be held from the 22nd to the 25th (local time) at the San Diego Convention Center in California, USA. Marking its 33rd edition, this year’s event is expected to draw approximately 20,000 participants from over 70 countries. In particular, this year marks the first time an official session titled “Korea Rising” has been included in the main conference, making it a significant milestone as Korea is being featured as a standalone theme. The Korea Bio Association will support the global expansion of 51 companies and institutions centered around the “Korea Pavilion,” and 29 companies are scheduled to present their key pipelines and research achievements through the “Open Stage.”

Samsung BioLogics and Celltrion: The Two Pillars… Simultaneously Targeting CDMO Orders and New Drug Strategies

Among the participating Korean companies, #Samsung Biologics is drawing the most attention. Since its founding in 2011, it is the only Korean company to have operated a standalone booth for 14 consecutive years, and this year it has once again set up a booth spanning approximately 140 square meters in the center of the exhibition hall. The company’s strategy is to expand its global client base by highlighting its “CRDMO” integrated services—which encompass Contract Research (CRO), Contract Development (CDO), and Contract Manufacturing (CMO)—and to showcase the competitiveness of its Rockville, Maryland, campus. On the 23rd, Executive Vice President James Choi will participate as a panelist in the official “Korea Rising” session.

#Celltrion has participated in Bio USA for 17 consecutive years since 2010 and is using this year’s event as a platform to highlight its leap toward becoming a “global new drug company.” The company plans to introduce its AI-based new drug development strategy and next-generation pipeline, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and multi-antibody therapies, while exploring various business opportunities—such as licensing-in (L/I) and joint development—to expand its biosimilars and new drug businesses.

Dong-A Socio Group (#Dong-A ST, #ST Pharm, BTGen) will operate a joint booth, while Lotte Biologics will compete for CDMO contracts with a standalone booth for the fifth consecutive year. #SK Biopharm, #Neurofit, #Curacle, and #Onconic Therapeutics are also participating with the goal of expanding their global partnerships. Industry observers predict that ADCs and next-generation treatments for metabolic diseases (obesity) will be the most closely watched areas at this year’s Bio USA.

Spotlight on ‘Platform Leaders’: Alteogen, Ligacem, Olix, and April

Biotech companies aiming for additional technology exports based on platform technologies—on par with major corporations—are also a key highlight of this event.

#Alteogen, having secured a series of global partnerships by leveraging its “ALT-B4” platform—which converts intravenous (IV) injections to subcutaneous (SC) injections—is the company generating the most anticipation for a major deal at this year’s Bio USA. Following the commercialization of Keytruda SC, the company signed a new agreement with Biogen this year. Analysts note that the likelihood of global deals has increased significantly following the expiration of patents for several consecutive global blockbuster drugs and the virtual victory in its patent litigation with Halozyme.

#Rigacem Bio, a leading Korean biotech venture that has secured numerous global technology licensing deals based on its ADC platform “ConjuALL,” is also expected to actively seek additional partnerships and business opportunities by leveraging the competitiveness of its platform.

#Olix demonstrated the competitiveness of its RNA interference (RNAi) platform last year by licensing its metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and obesity candidate “OLX702A” to Eli Lilly. Having recently secured a strategic equity investment from global cosmetics giant L’Oréal and currently engaged in joint research collaboration with the company, the industry is paying close attention to the possibility that the scope of this collaboration could expand further following Bio USA.

#April Bio is a company that has continued to secure global technology transfer deals based on its long-acting antibody platform “SAFA,” and it plans to actively seek new business collaboration opportunities at Bio USA as well.

Attention is focused on whether this year’s Bio USA will lead to actual technology export agreements and serve as a catalyst to revive investment sentiment in the domestic biotech sector, which has been sluggish. For CDMO companies, it represents an opportunity to secure new orders amid the restructuring of global supply chains, while for new drug and platform companies, it serves as a crucial stage to gauge the prospects of securing future technology export deals.

However, since on-site partnering meetings and the actual signing of contracts are two separate matters, experts advise that investors need to carefully evaluate the size of non-refundable upfront payments, the development capabilities of the counterparty, and their commitment to follow-on development.

An industry official stated, “As global market interest is focused on ADCs and obesity treatments, this will serve as a crucial platform for domestic companies to showcase their competitiveness,” adding, “Expectations are rising not only for the order performance of major CDMO companies but also for the potential of platform biotech firms to secure additional technology export deals.”