Lotte Biologics CEO James Park makes a presentation at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference Asia-Pacific session in San Francisco, on Thursday. (Joint Press Corps)
Lotte Biologics CEO James Park makes a presentation at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference Asia-Pacific session in San Francisco, on Thursday. (Joint Press Corps)

SAN FRANCISCO ― Lotte Biologics CEO James Park unveiled the firm’s new platform for antibody-drug conjugates, a promising class of anticancer drugs, as its biopharmaceutical production facility in the US is getting ready to welcome its first client.

At the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference's Asia-Pacific sessions on Thursday, the pharmaceutical unit of Lotte Group introduced its proprietary and innovative ADC platform, SoluFlex Link, and announced plans to provide one-stop ADC services in collaboration with North American drug product partners.

"SoluFlex Link enhances ADC hydrophilicity, resulting in improved efficacy, stability, productivity and pharmacokinetics in vivo. This platform will serve as an effective and accelerated solution for the development and production of next-generation ADCs," Park said.

SoluFlex Link is a groundbreaking linker technology jointly developed by Lotte Biologics and Kanaph Therapeutics, a bio-venture specializing in drug conjugation technology.

The CEO also presented the successful transformation of the Syracuse Bio Campus in New York into a contract development and manufacturing organization, or CDMO.

"The Syracuse Bio Campus is uniquely positioned to meet a variety of client needs, from clinical development to commercial-scale production."

The facility with total production capacity of 40,000 liters achieved a flawless quality evaluation in inspections conducted last year by Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration.

Lotte Biologics acquired the plant from US pharmaceutical firm Bristol Myers Squibb in 2022 as a part of its market entry strategy into the CDMO sector.

"The maintenance of high-quality production systems after the BMS’ biologics manufacturing facility acquisition reflects the company's robust capabilities as a global CDMO" Park emphasized.

View of Lotte Biologics' East Syracuse facility in New York (Lotte Biologics)
View of Lotte Biologics' East Syracuse facility in New York (Lotte Biologics)

Meanwhile, construction of the first plant at the Songdo Bio Campus in Incheon, in which the firm is investing $1 billion, began in March last year, with commercial production scheduled to begin in 2027.

Park noted that the plant, slated for completion this year, will feature a flexible, large-scale production facility equipped with optimized operational systems. Advanced manufacturing technologies and automation will be implemented to maximize operational efficiency.

"Leveraging the strategic geographic locations of Songdo and New York, Lotte Biologics aims to enhance customer satisfaction and quality competitiveness," Park said.