Amicogen joins forces with Chinese culture media leader...Songdo International City GMP plant to serve as a “second production base”

[Financial News]  Amicogen is teaming up with a Chinese biotech media specialist to secure commercial production volume at its GMP plant in Songdo International City, Incheon. The strategy is to integrate the plant into the Chinese company’s global supply chain as a second production base, boosting utilization and securing a new source of revenue.
Amicogen said on the 12th that it had signed a strategic MOU with CelluPro, a Chinese specialist in cell culture media, to cooperate on joint R&D, manufacturing and sales. The two companies agreed to expand their cooperation, focusing on media for the production of antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
The key to the agreement is the use of the Songdo International City GMP plant. The two companies will discuss plans for additional production there of media that CelluPro supplies to overseas markets, including Europe. The aim is to diversify manufacturing bases concentrated in China by adding one in Korea, thereby improving supply stability for global customers.
CelluPro is a subsidiary of MabPlex, a Chinese biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), and has annual production capacity of approximately 3.5 million liters on a liquid-media-equivalent basis. It supplies commercial- and clinical-grade CHO cell culture media to pharmaceutical companies in China and overseas, including RemeGen.
For Amicogen, the notable opportunity is to secure contract manufacturing work for media already used in commercial production. This would allow the company to expand actual production volumes at its Songdo International City plant while reducing the time and cost involved in finding new customers.
Last October, Amicogen stepped up its contract manufacturing (CMO) business at its Songdo International City plant, producing media formulated in-house by biopharmaceutical manufacturers. The company plans to expand its business into overseas commercial media markets through this partnership.
The two companies also plan to pursue a co-branded business. They will supply CelluPro’s CHO media in Korea under a shared brand, while Amicogen’s own media will be sold through CelluPro’s sales network in China. By jointly developing customized media, they will also seek to secure customers from the R&D stage for antibodies and ADCs.
In the biomaterials industry, the key to this partnership is seen as securing actual contract manufacturing volume. 
One industry source said, “In the media business, attracting customers for commercial production is more important than securing production facilities,” and assessed that “if the Songdo International City plant establishes itself as an additional production base in overseas supply chains, it could help improve utilization and secure a stable revenue base.”
However, steps including signing a definitive agreement, transferring the technology and verifying quality remain before actual production can begin.
Son Chang-bin, head of Amicogen’s Biotech Business Division, emphasized, “We will target global markets by combining CelluPro’s commercial production experience with Amicogen’s Songdo International City GMP infrastructure,” adding, “Through follow-up discussions, we will work to build a commercial production track record for the Songdo International City plant and expand contract manufacturing volumes.”


[email protected] Kim Gyeong-a Reporter