[Edaily Reporter SONG YOUNG-DOO ] Domestic pharmaceutical and biotech companies have enhanced their global presence through the “2026 BIO International Convention (BIO USA),” the world’s largest biotech industry event. This year’s event is considered particularly significant because, beyond mere promotional exhibitions, it saw simultaneous, substantive business discussions on topics such as joint research with global Big Pharma, direct investment reviews, competition for CDMO contracts, and collaboration on new drug development using artificial intelligence (AI).

Held at the San Diego Convention Center from the 22nd to the 25th (local time) under the theme “Driven by Purpose,” BIO USA drew approximately 20,000 attendees—including representatives from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, investors, and research institutions—from over 70 countries.

South Korea sent approximately 1,200 delegates—the second-largest delegation after the United States—and when companies conducting individual meetings and presentations without booths are included, the total number of participating companies reached about 350, marking a record high (compared to about 300 last year). The key themes of this year’s event can be summarized as the restructuring of U.S.-China supply chains, the expansion of open innovation, AI-driven drug discovery, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and obesity and metabolic diseases. Analysts note that as global Big Pharma companies actively seek to secure external innovative technologies to address patent expirations and stagnant growth, new opportunities have opened up for domestic companies as well.

The most notable change is that global interest in Korean companies is translating into concrete collaborations. This is symbolized by the introduction of “Korea Rising,” the first-ever official session dedicated exclusively to the Korean biotech industry in the event’s history. During this session held on the 23rd, global pharmaceutical companies and investors assessed that Korea is no longer merely a CDMO-centric nation but is establishing itself as a next-generation biotech hub that creates innovative new drugs and platform technologies.

Examples of collaboration have also come to light. On the very first day of the event, it was announced that Korean biotech ventures Galax and EzQuri had signed joint research agreements with AstraZeneca. This is cited as a success story of K-Bio Open Innovation, as it marks a shift from simple one-on-one meetings to the stage of joint research with technology transfer in mind.

This collaboration, carried out through Project NOVA—operated by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and AstraZeneca—is an example of how the government, public institutions, and global pharmaceutical companies have identified technologies from domestic biotech firms and connected them to overseas R&D partnerships. In particular, AstraZeneca emphasized its commitment to discovering next-generation modalities—such as AI and machine learning-based new drug development, ADCs, cell therapies, immuno-oncology drugs, and radiopharmaceuticals—and left the door open for further collaboration with domestic companies.

Investment trends among global big pharma companies were also evident. Scott Dwyer, Head of Global Business Development and Licensing at Boehringer Ingelheim, stated during the “Korea Rising” session, “We have been paying attention to Korea’s innovative technologies for over 10 years and have concluded more than six deals to date,” adding, “Korea has a culture of entrepreneurship and bold innovation, which is why we continue to seek out technologies here.”

U.S. Biosecurity Act a Boon... Korean CDMO Companies Compete for Orders

At this event, as transactions with Chinese companies became uncertain due to the push for the U.S. Biosecurity Act, global buyers were notably active in seeking safe alternative partners. Buyers flocked to every Korean company’s booth.

Major companies prominently showcased their strategies for securing global orders and expanding their businesses. SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS(207940)operated a standalone booth for the 14th consecutive year, highlighting its CRDMO competitiveness—encompassing Contract Research (CRO), Contract Development (CDO), and Contract Manufacturing (CMO). The company had as many as 90 pre-scheduled meetings before the event even began, and on-site meetings continued throughout the event. John Lim, CEO of SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS, reaffirmed the company’s growth outlook of 15–20% for this year during an on-site briefing and presented a global expansion strategy centered on three key pillars: the Rockville, U.S., production facility; the expansion of Plant 6; and the sales hub in the Netherlands.

SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS plans to decide on the construction of Plant 6 within the year and expand its domestic production capacity to 1.325 million liters by completing the Songdo Bio Campus II by 2032. Including the Rockville plant, total global production capacity will increase to 1.385 million liters. To differentiate the third Bio Campus from existing antibody-focused production facilities, the company is actively considering the production of peptides, particularly GLP-1-based obesity treatments.

The business model is also broadening from a focus on production facilities to a focus on platform technologies. At Bio USA, SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS unveiled an “early lock-in” strategy, in which it provides its own platforms to clients starting from the early stages of drug candidate discovery to secure them as long-term customers. The company plans to elevate its CDMO competitiveness by expanding beyond simple production contracts to include platform licensing.

Celltrion(068270)The company highlighted its potential to transform into a global new drug developer by showcasing AI, ADCs, and multispecific antibodies. During the event, Celltrion held partnering sessions with up to 200 companies, including those with pre-scheduled meetings. The number of booth visitors also exceeded 2,000—surpassing last year’s figure of 1,800—setting a record high for both the number of business meetings and visitor count.

At the event, Celltrion introduced AI-based new target discovery, next-generation multi-antibody design technology, development feasibility assessments, and data-driven research platforms. Observers noted that the company’s strategy to expand its portfolio beyond its existing biosimilar-focused business into next-generation growth engines—such as ADCs, multi-antibodies, and AI-driven drug discovery—attracted significant interest from global partners.

Lotte Biologics also entered the CDMO order competition, led by Plant No. 1 at its Songdo Bio Campus. The company is reported to have accelerated the plant’s completion schedule to meet demand from global big pharma clients. It emphasized both its “dual-site” production strategy—linking its Syracuse, U.S., plant with the Songdo plant—and its ADC production capabilities. With the possibility of securing major commercial orders by the end of the year being raised, competition among domestic CDMO companies to secure global clients is expected to intensify further.

Bio-Venture Presence Expands; Diversification into Diagnostics and Genomics

The presence of biotech startups has also grown. Following the global technology transfer of its Alzheimer’s treatment AR1001, AriBio explored opportunities for further collaboration at BioUSA. The fact that Fuxing Pharmaceutical has shown interest in other pipeline candidates besides AR1001 suggests the potential for the partnership to expand beyond a single contract into follow-up collaborations.

#NEUROPHET Inc. confirmed global interest in its imaging biomarker technology alongside the expansion of the Alzheimer’s treatment market. With reports that it is in discussions for additional agreements with companies such as Roche and Eli Lilly, biotech firms specializing in diagnostic and analytical technologies are also proving their competitiveness on the global partnering stage. InnoCrass also garnered attention as a case study of generating actual revenue with global big pharma based on its genomic analysis technology.

This year’s Bio USA served as a stage that demonstrated the changed status of K-Bio. Whereas in the past the focus was on visiting global companies’ booths to secure meeting opportunities, this year saw an increase in global companies visiting the Korea Pavilion and the booths of domestic firms. This signifies that Korean companies’ technologies are beginning to be incorporated into the open innovation strategies of global big pharma.

‘Follow-up Results’ Are Key, Rather Than the Number of Meetings

However, challenges remain clear. There is a general assessment that there were fewer major technology export announcements capable of capturing market attention compared to previous years. Furthermore, on-site meetings at Bio USA do not necessarily lead directly to technology exports or investment.

To secure an actual contract, companies must demonstrate clinical data, a differentiated mechanism of action, manufacturability, intellectual property rights, and follow-up development capabilities. From an investor’s perspective, in particular, it is necessary to assess not only the number of partnering meetings but also the size of non-refundable upfront payments, the counterparty’s commitment to development, and the likelihood of advancing to clinical trials.

Structural challenges also remain. It has been pointed out that while many domestic companies hold numerous technologies in the preclinical and Phase 1 clinical trial stages, they still lack the late-stage (Phase 2 and 3) pipelines preferred by global Big Pharma. Analysts suggest that to attract investment from Big Pharma, companies must go beyond simply introducing platforms and demonstrate late-stage clinical data and commercialization potential.

An industry official stated, “This year’s Bio USA served as an opportunity to confirm that K-Bio is no longer a peripheral player in the global market,” adding, “What matters now is the ability to translate the interest observed on the ground into actual joint research, investment, technology transfers, and commercial contracts.”