Support is expanding to connect the entire commercialization process so that drug candidates discovered in South Korea can move beyond technology licensing and be developed into globally marketed medicines.
Global pharmaceutical companies and investment institutions assess not only the scientific evidence behind a drug candidate but also the completeness of its data, differentiation from competing drugs at the same development stage, intellectual property, market potential, and clinical development feasibility. Even promising technology can struggle to lead to licensing or co-development if the data and development strategy required by global partners are not sufficiently prepared.
According to the National Development Program for New Drug Discovery, the organization is going beyond research and development support by helping companies establish commercialization strategies, assess the value of their technologies, and connect with appropriate global partners so that opportunities can progress to investment, licensing, and co-development.
Before companies enter global markets, the program helps analyze market and competitive conditions and assess the target product profile (TPP), the technology’s differentiated value, and potential partnering strategies. The process is designed to clarify which markets a technology can enter and what competitive advantages it can establish.
Licensing materials and data packages used to present technologies to global partners are also reviewed. The program then helps identify suitable partners and facilitates initial contacts and meetings. As discussions become more concrete, support can extend to confidentiality agreements, technical due diligence, review of key transaction terms, and contract negotiations.
This commercialization strategy and transaction preparation are conducted primarily through CPG (Co-development & Partnership for Globalization) consulting.
Technology Valuation Linked to Guarantees and Investment
Support is also being provided to objectively assess the value of drug candidates and connect that value to commercialization and financing.
The program conducts drug valuation assessments to quantitatively analyze the technological and commercial value of drug candidates. The goal is to establish a basis for technology transactions and reduce information asymmetry that can arise during licensing negotiations. The results are also used to review future development and commercialization strategies.
The program also operates a Drug Valuation–IP Guarantee Program in cooperation with the Korea Technology Finance Corporation. Rather than directly investing in companies, the program uses objective technology valuations as a basis for connecting companies with financing, including guarantees and investment from financial institutions, as well as follow-on development opportunities.
Showcase Draws 400 Participants and More Than 500 Partnering Meetings
Efforts are also expanding opportunities for promising Korean technologies to connect with global pharmaceutical companies and investment institutions.
The CPG Symposium connects areas of interest among global pharmaceutical companies with promising Korean pipelines to explore opportunities for licensing and co-development. The Global Biotech Showcase focuses on investment, introducing Korean drug-development pipelines to overseas investors and pharmaceutical companies while identifying opportunities for strategic investment and further commercialization.
This year’s Global Biotech Showcase attracted approximately 400 participants, including about 90 business development and investment professionals from Korea and abroad. More than 500 one-on-one partnering meetings were held during the event. The showcase served as an opportunity for global partners to directly assess the technology, commercial potential, investment opportunities, and potential for collaboration offered by Korean companies.
Programs are also being operated to help Korean companies build their own business development capabilities. Through initiatives such as the Young BD (Business Development) Workshop and BD Forum, the program shares practical experience in global licensing, partnering strategies, and negotiation.
The program views technology licensing not as the end point of commercialization but as the starting point for global development. For a technology to ultimately become a successful new drug, clinical development and follow-on work must continue after a licensing agreement is signed, along with sustained collaboration with global partners.
“The key to supporting global commercialization does not lie in any single event or program,” a program representative said. “It is about supporting the entire process—from assessing the commercial potential of a technology and objectively establishing its value to connecting companies with the necessary funding and appropriate global partners, and ultimately helping those efforts lead to actual negotiations and transactions.”
“Technology licensing is also not the end point of commercialization but the starting point for global development,” the representative added. “We will continue strengthening the connections within our support system so that Korean research achievements can expand beyond one-time licensing deals into investment, co-development, and subsequent clinical development.”