From intravenous to subcutaneous injections, from shots to patches... Three Daewoong affiliates join forces on drug delivery

[Financial News] Three Daewoong affiliates are joining forces to develop technology that turns time-consuming intravenous antibody injections into short subcutaneous shots, and needle injections into patches.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced on the 9th that it had each signed a drug co-development agreement using Thermicra, a high-concentration subcutaneous formulation platform developed by Daewoong Therapeutics, and CLOPAM, a dissolvable microneedle platform. Thermicra will be jointly developed by three companies, including Daewoong Bio, whose CEO is Jin Seong-gon, while CLOPAM will be jointly developed by Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Daewoong Therapeutics.
The collaboration is focused on applying the two platforms to a range of medicines, rather than limiting them to specific products. The companies plan to continually identify new medicines and bring them to market. The arrangement combines Daewoong Therapeutics’ core technology with Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.’s capabilities in global clinical trials, regulatory approvals and commercialization, and Daewoong Bio’s manufacturing infrastructure.

Thermicra is a platform for converting biopharmaceuticals, including antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) administered intravenously (IV), into high-concentration subcutaneous (SC) formulations. It can produce formulations at concentrations of 400 mg/mL or higher without hyaluronidase, the enzyme that helps drugs spread under the skin. The company expects the shorter administration time and simpler procedures to improve patient convenience and dosing efficiency in healthcare settings.
The process excludes exposure to high temperatures and the use of organic solvents, minimizing the risk of protein denaturation. It also suppresses the increase in viscosity that can occur in high-concentration formulations, enabling smooth injection. Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. plans to expand the platform’s applications to antibody drugs, ADCs and other products.

CLOPAM is a dissolvable microneedle platform that delivers drugs as the microneedles inserted into the skin dissolve. An automated precision-dispensing process uniformly controls the amount of drug loaded into the microneedles, while pressure-assisted drying technology is used to concentrate the drug at their tips. A storage and packaging method that uses the manufacturing mold as is also reduces the risk of microneedle breakage. Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. plans to assess whether CLOPAM can be applied to a range of drugs, including small-molecule compounds and peptides.
Work is also being accelerated to build dedicated production facilities. A manufacturing plant dedicated to Thermicra is under construction in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, with completion targeted for December 2027. For CLOPAM, a dedicated sterile facility for manufacturing microneedle clinical medicines is being built at Daewoong Bio’s Plant 3 in Hyangnam, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The goal is to obtain approval under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards in the first half of 2027.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. CEO Park Sung-su said, “This joint development is an important stepping stone toward applying next-generation drug delivery technologies to a range of medicines and bringing them to market as actual products,” adding, “Building on synergies among the three companies, we will continue to expand our product range and become a game changer in the global pharmaceutical market.”
[email protected] Reporter Jung Myung-jin