High-Tech CDMO... 20 Billion KRW Sales Target Within 2 Years

[Interview] Jang Young-gil, CEO of Hanmi Precision Chemicals
Securing Global Competitiveness with New Drug Experience
Achieving 70% Sales from Exports to 30 Countries
Developing Peptide and mRNA Raw Materials
100 Billion KRW Scale CDMO Project
High-Difficulty Synthesis Technology for Essential Materials
Top-Level Development Capabilities in Korea

Jang Young-gil, CEO of Hanmi Fine Chemical.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] "Based on our experience in developing high-difficulty new drugs, we will transform into a global ‘high-tech Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO)’ company."

Founded in 1984, Hanmi Precision Chemical, a raw material pharmaceutical company that owns Korea’s first large-scale raw material synthesis Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) factory, has declared its entry into the high-tech CDMO market. With a total investment of 10 billion KRW, the company aims to produce cutting-edge biopharmaceutical raw materials such as lipid nanoparticles (LNP) used in messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, nucleotides, capping agents, polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivatives, and peptides.

Although not widely known to the general public, Hanmi Precision Chemical is recognized for its technological capabilities within the raw material pharmaceutical industry. Already, 70% of its sales come from exports to over 30 countries worldwide. In the cephalosporin antibiotic sector, it is highly regarded in advanced countries such as the United States and Europe. Jang Young-gil, CEO of Hanmi Precision Chemical (pictured), stated, "We have substantial CDMO capabilities accumulated through deep involvement in Hanmi Pharm’s bio and anticancer new drug research and development (R&D). We possess sufficient competitiveness and have confirmed the potential as a new growth engine."

Exterior view of Hanmi Fine Chemical.

Hanmi Precision Chemical is developing and producing raw materials for Hanmi Pharm’s innovative new drugs Velpatasvir, MKI, and Poziotinib, as well as raw materials for biopharmaceuticals. Notably, it has succeeded in developing peptides, raw materials for high-difficulty synthetic biopharmaceuticals, and capping agents, which are raw materials for mRNA. Capping is known to be very difficult to synthesize, but Hanmi Precision Chemical developed a cost-competitive process in a short period. CEO Jang said, "We are already conducting preclinical and clinical CDMO projects worth 10 billion KRW with more than 10 domestic and international companies," adding, "Our technology is distinctly superior to other companies."

Collaboration with global major pharmaceutical companies also proves Hanmi Precision Chemical’s CDMO competitiveness. In the process of working with partners such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen, and MSD to produce raw materials for synthetic and biopharmaceutical new drugs licensed out by Hanmi Pharm, Hanmi Precision Chemical received global-level knowledge and know-how in process development, Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) development, Quality by Design (QbD)-based quality enhancement, and impurity management. CEO Jang explained, "Our capability to rapidly develop substances requiring high-difficulty synthesis technology has already reached the top domestic level, so we also have the competitiveness to quickly respond to the rapidly changing global market environment."

Hanmi Precision Chemical plans to actively promote its CDMO competitiveness in the global market. It will participate in major global events such as ‘BIO International Convention (BIO USA)’ held in San Diego, USA, from June 13 to 16 (local time), and ‘TIDES EUROPE’ held in Vienna, Austria, in November. CEO Jang emphasized, "We are targeting sales of 10 billion KRW this year and 20 billion KRW within the next two years," adding, "High-tech CDMO will greatly contribute to Hanmi Precision Chemical’s future growth."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.