Medipost Secures CGT CDMO Capabilities Domestically Following Canada

A Medipost researcher is conducting research and development (R&D). (Photo by Medipost)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Medipost announced on the 17th that it is entering the domestic cell and gene therapy (CGT) CDMO business by expanding its existing GMP cell therapy factory in Guro-gu, Seoul, and establishing 10 dedicated cleanrooms and production facilities for contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).

Unlike general contract manufacturing organizations (CMO), CDMO is a service that collaborates with partner companies throughout the entire new drug development process, from development to clinical trials and market approval, requiring sufficient process development capabilities and know-how. In particular, CGT demands advanced technology from development to production, leading to a high dependence on outsourcing, and all stages from cell development, process, clinical trials, approval, to commercialization must be pursued through close partnerships with verified CDMO companies.

Medipost plans to provide a one-stop total service covering the entire new drug development process from clinical trials to commercialization, including ▲product development services related to advanced biopharmaceuticals ▲various cell production services ▲raw material production services for advanced biopharmaceuticals ▲quality analysis services related to production ▲and storage services for produced products (cells).

Medipost explained that it secured differentiated competitiveness through skilled human resources and abundant experience by developing the world’s first allogeneic stem cell therapy 'Cartistem' throughout its entire lifecycle and operating GMP for over 20 years. A Medipost official stated, "We possess world-class stem cell selection and mass culture technology," adding, "We have secured numerous partner hospitals, making it easy to procure raw materials for biopharmaceuticals."

The synergy with Omnia Bio, a Canadian CGT CDMO specialized company recently acquired, is also a strength of Medipost. Omnia Bio possesses various process development (PD) capabilities for autologous and allogeneic cell therapies, gene therapies, viral vectors, as well as cGMP facility production platforms and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for managing and maintaining production quality, along with other intellectual property rights. Medipost expects to provide global-level CDMO services to customers by introducing Omnia Bio’s PD and production know-how, especially the viral vector, a core element of CGT development and production, domestically, and also contribute to viral vector production and supply.

A Medipost official said, “Based on over 20 years of accumulated world-class development and production know-how and differentiated competitiveness, we plan to provide turnkey solutions that meet global standards for the development, manufacturing, quality testing, and regulatory support of advanced biopharmaceuticals,” adding, “In addition to our existing core businesses of cord blood banking and cell therapy, we will diversify our business structure with the CGT CDMO business to establish a foundation for stable profit generation as well as sustainable growth.”

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