Major biotech and pharmaceutical companies from across Asia will converge in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 7. South Korean companies including Samsung Biologics will seek opportunities across Japan and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market, ranging from contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) orders to new drug licensing and joint development.
According to News1’s reporting, BioJapan 2026 will be held for three days through Oct. 9 at Pacifico Yokohama in Japan. It is one of Asia’s major biotechnology partnering events, covering the broader biotech industry, including new drug development, CDMO, regenerative medicine and digital health.
BioJapan has been held annually since 1986. This year’s event will be held alongside Regenerative Medicine Japan, which focuses on regenerative medicine, and healthTECH JAPAN, which covers the convergence of digital technology and life sciences.
A total of 1,200 companies and organizations will participate in the exhibition, while 1,769 companies and organizations are expected to take part in the partnering program. Participants from 40 countries and regions are expected to attend, with more than 26,000 business meetings projected during the event.
BioJapan differs from conventional trade shows that primarily showcase products and technologies because its main focus is one-on-one partnering between companies. Global pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and research institutions are expected to use pre-arranged meetings to discuss potential business collaborations.
Samsung Biologics Attends for Fourth Consecutive Year, Expanding Beyond CDMO Into R&D
Among South Korean companies, Samsung Biologics will actively pursue new orders. The company has participated in BioJapan for four consecutive years, from 2023 through this year.
As it did last year, Samsung Biologics will operate its own booth and seek to strengthen cooperation with existing customers and secure new clients in Japan and across the APAC region.
The company plans to highlight its end-to-end CDMO services spanning research and development through manufacturing, along with its large-scale production capacity.
On Oct. 7, the first day of the event, James Choi, executive vice president of sales support, will give a presentation titled “Integrated CDMO Services to Meet the Changing Needs of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Companies.”
Choi Yeon-jung, a professional in the New Modality Group, will then present research results on optimizing the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) conjugation process using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD is a technology that uses computers to analyze fluid flow and material transport and can be used to design more efficient manufacturing processes.
Samsung Biologics’ recent expansion beyond conventional CDMO services into the drug discovery stage is also drawing attention. In June last year, the company launched Samsung Organoid, a service that evaluates the efficacy of drug candidates using three-dimensional models that mimic patients’ cancer tissue, marking its entry into the contract research organization (CRO) business.
In March this year, the company also secured in-house capabilities for master cell bank (MCB) manufacturing and vector production services, strengthening its contract development organization (CDO) offerings. Its strategy is to expand a contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) model that can support clients within a single company from early-stage drug candidate discovery through development and manufacturing.
Lotte Biologics will also operate its own exhibition booth and seek customers in Asia. The company plans to showcase its manufacturing efficiency and quality management capabilities using an automated manufacturing control system (MCS), digital twins and CFD simulations.
Following four contract wins announced this year and ahead of the official completion of its Songdo Bio Campus Plant 1 in November, the company is expected to pursue additional customers.
Leading South Korean biotech companies with new drugs and platform technologies will also participate in partnering meetings. Among them are Alteogen, LigaChem Biosciences, Peptron, G2G Bio and OrganoidScience.
Global pharmaceutical companies including Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) are also expected to explore opportunities for collaboration with Asian biotech companies.
For South Korean biotech companies in particular, the event offers an opportunity to meet partners from across the APAC region beyond Japan in one place. CDMO companies are expected to use the event to secure new orders, while drug developers are looking to initiate discussions with global pharmaceutical companies on technology licensing and joint development.