Celltrion said on the 25th that it signed a license-in (technology introduction) agreement with domestic bio corporations KoBioLabs for three candidate substances for treating intestinal diseases. Based on the microbiome, they will develop treatments including for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.
Microbiome is a compound word of microbe, meaning microorganism, and biome, meaning ecosystem. The company said that because the drugs are developed based on microorganisms that live in the human body to treat intestinal diseases, safety is expected.
The upfront payment is 1 billion won. For development and approval, up to 7.2 billion won and 13 billion won, respectively, will be paid upon success at each stage. After commercializing the treatments, if sales reach a certain level, up to 184 billion won in royalties will be paid.
Celltrion has conducted joint research with KoBioLabs since 2022. By introducing three candidate substances this time, it secured exclusive rights to clinical development and commercialization. Celltrion plans to focus on early clinical proof of efficacy. A Celltrion official said, "We will expand our pipeline (new drug candidates) to strengthen our position as a comprehensive biotechnology corporations."