HLB Pharm Partners with Mebsgen to Accelerate Long-Acting Injectable Development and Advance DDS Platform

by Jang Hyowon

Published 28 Apr.2026 14:38(KST)

At the signing ceremony for the business agreement on the development of long-acting injectable drugs and drug delivery systems, Jae-Hyung Park, CEO of HLB Pharmaceutical (left), and Yongtae Kim, CEO of Mapgene, are posing for a commemorative photo. Provided by HLB Pharmaceutical

HLB Pharm is partnering with Mebsgen to develop long-acting injectable drugs as part of its efforts to secure next-generation drug delivery technology. The company announced on the 28th that it has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mebsgen for the development of long-acting injectable drugs and drug delivery systems (DDS) utilizing microspheres.

This collaboration is a strategic move aimed at laying the groundwork for entering the high value-added pharmaceutical market and bolstering the competitiveness of HLB Pharm's DDS platform.

The two companies plan to jointly promote formulation development and process validation by leveraging a microsphere manufacturing system based on microfluidics technology. In particular, the technical collaboration will focus on ensuring particle uniformity, improving drug encapsulation efficiency, and enhancing process reproducibility, which are all critical elements in the development of long-acting formulations.

The scope of collaboration will extend beyond research and development to include preclinical studies, clinical trials, and commercialization, covering the entire product lifecycle. In addition, the companies plan to establish a practical production infrastructure, including scaling up manufacturing, process optimization, and automation systems. Through these efforts, they aim to achieve tangible commercialization outcomes in the field of long-acting injectable drugs.

HLB Pharm expects that this collaboration will further enhance its formulation development capabilities and accelerate the expansion of its high value-added pharmaceutical portfolio, including long-acting injectable drugs.

Jae Hyung Park, CEO of HLB Pharm, stated, "This agreement will serve as an opportunity to strengthen our R&D capabilities in long-acting formulations and solidify our foundation for entry into the global market. We will secure a competitive edge in next-generation drug delivery technology and translate it into real business results."

Yongtae Kim, CEO of Mebsgen, also commented, "By combining our microfluidics-based manufacturing technology with HLB Pharm's formulation development expertise, we will be able to establish a high-quality DDS platform. We will actively support the full-scale development and commercialization of the microsphere manufacturing business necessary for long-acting formulation development."

Meanwhile, Mebsgen is a bio company with a microfluidics-based DDS platform centered on the NanoCalibur® Series. Leveraging precision fluid control and parallelization technology, the company has established a scalable manufacturing system that links R&D to commercial-scale production.