Boryung Pharmaceutical announced on Monday that it has begun supplying the cancer drug ‘Alimta’ (generic name: pemetrexed) to Lotus, a Taiwanese pharmaceutical company.
Alimta, a cytotoxic chemotherapy drug developed by Eli Lilly in the United States, is primarily used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma.
This supply marks the first major step in Boryung’s global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business. Following a CDMO contract with Lotus in 2020, Boryung initiated its first supply through its global production hub, the Yesan campus, after completing quality verification and regulatory procedures.
Since acquiring Gemza in 2020, Boryung has steadily built a portfolio of original cancer drug brands, including Alimta. Last year, the company also inked a deal to acquire the domestic and global business for Taxotere.
In tandem with these developments, Boryung has upgraded its quality control systems and production infrastructure to meet global standards, focusing on its Yesan campus, which has received European Union (EU)-good manufacturing process (GMP) certification. The company touts its experience in fully transferring and internalizing the production technology of original products to its own facilities, following the acquisition of Alimta’s domestic business, as a key strength.
Boryung has enhanced Alimta by transforming it from a powder to a liquid formulation, boosting both product competitiveness and profitability. The company aims to apply this expertise in production technology internalization and formulation improvement to its global CDMO business moving forward.
The global market has recently faced worsening shortages of cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs due to major production facility closures and instability in raw material supplies. Repeated shortages of essential chemotherapy drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin have led to concerning delays in cancer treatment.
Health authorities worldwide, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have designated cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs as essential medicines and stressed the need for stable supply chains.
Leveraging its production and quality capabilities honed through its global original cancer drug business, Boryung plans to expand its role in the global supply chain for cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs.
Kim Sung-jin, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Boryung, stated that the ability to reliably produce and supply pharmaceuticals has become increasingly crucial in the global market. In the prescription drug sector, production stability and robust quality management systems are now key drivers of global competitiveness.