Boryung to invest 50 billion won in Yesan anticancer drug plant expansion, more than doubling production capacity

[Financial News] Boryung will more than double its production capacity for cytotoxic anticancer drugs. The investment is aimed at expanding the production and supply base it has established in the domestic anticancer drug market into overseas exports and contract development and manufacturing (CDMO). After switching existing products to in-house production, the company is also securing new production facilities and focusing on increasing the share of overseas supply in its anticancer drug business.
Boryung said on the 12th that it had held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Second Anticancer Injection Building at its Yesan Campus in Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province. The facility will be built at a cost of about 50 billion won, with completion targeted for the second half of 2028. Once completed, the campus’s annual production capacity for anticancer injections will increase from 6 million to 13.2 million vials.
The expanded facility will handle both domestic supplies of essential anticancer drugs and volumes for overseas business. Cytotoxic anticancer drugs require strict controls during manufacturing, and securing production facilities also requires substantial investment. As supply disruptions continue to recur in the global market, the importance of stable production infrastructure is also growing.
Boryung is building a track record of overseas supply using its existing production facilities. Last May, it began its overseas CDMO business by supplying Alimta produced at its Yesan Campus to Taiwanese pharmaceutical company Lotus. Under an agreement with Zuellig Pharma, Boryung also plans to supply Alimta to seven Southeast Asian countries starting in 2027.
Boryung also has an established business base in the domestic market. According to IQVIA data for 2025, it holds 55% of South Korea’s cytotoxic anticancer drug market. After acquiring the original anticancer drugs Gemzar and Alimta, the company switched them to in-house production. It is also working to move production of Taxotere, acquired in May this year, to its Yesan Campus.
Boryung has also built its capacity to meet overseas regulatory requirements for its production facilities. Following certification in 2023 for its anticancer injection production facility, the Yesan Campus recently received EU-GMP certification from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its solid dosage production facility as well. Boryung plans to use the new facility to expand its range of anticancer drugs and the volume supplied overseas.
Boryung CEO Kim Jung-gyun said, "As instability in the supply of essential medicines continues to recur in the global market, a stable supply is directly linked to patients’ access to treatment." He added, "We will expand production capacity at the Yesan Campus to ensure a stable supply of cytotoxic anticancer drugs to the global market and make sure essential medicines reach the patients who need them without disruption."

[email protected] Jung Sang-hee Reporter