Lotte Biologics said on the 18th that it signed a contract for contract manufacturing (CMO) of antibody drugs with the U.K. biotech company OTTIMO Pharma.
The two companies expanded the scope of cooperation with this additional contract following their first deal in June last year. Lotte Biologics will produce drug substance (DS) for OTTIMO Pharma's antibody new drug "Jankistomig" at the Syracuse Bio Campus in New York.
The contract includes not only simple manufacturing but also process development. The company said this is meaningful in that the cooperation between the two companies has expanded into a long-term partnership that can continue from the development stage to future commercial production.
Based at the Syracuse Bio Campus, Lotte Biologics provides services from cell line development to large-scale contract development and manufacturing (CDMO). It also plans to establish a "Dual Site" production system that provides consolidation between North America and Asia through Incheon Songdo Bio Campus Plant 1, which is scheduled for completion this year.
Based on this production infrastructure, the company expects it will be able to stably support OTTIMO Pharma's clinical and commercial volumes in the future.
Chief Executive Park James of Lotte Biologics said, "We will actively support OTTIMO Pharma's new drug development based on our integrated CDMO capabilities that cover everything from process development to commercial manufacturing," adding, "We will establish ourselves as a competitive and trusted partner in the global market."
Spencer Fisk, chief technology and quality officer (CTQO) at OTTIMO Pharma, said, "Lotte Biologics' rapid and reliable execution played an important role in conducting clinical trials at an industry-leading pace," adding, "We are pleased to further expand this collaboration."