Lotte Biologics is accelerating its push into Japan’s pharmaceutical and biotech market, leveraging the manufacturing competitiveness and quality management capabilities of its Syracuse, New York, facility. After recently signing a contract manufacturing agreement with European biosimilar company Alvotech, the company plans to pursue additional contracts with major Japanese pharmaceutical companies.
Jang Jun-young, head of the Project Management Office (PMO) at Lotte Biologics, met with reporters on the sidelines of BioJapan 2026 in Yokohama on the 8th. “We’ve had more meetings with Japanese companies this year than last year,” he said. “That reflects the relationships we’ve steadily built with Japanese clients since last year.”
Lotte Biologics has set up its own booth at BioJapan this year and is actively holding meetings with prospective clients, including major Japanese pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms.
“Last year, while the Lotte name was well known in Japan, awareness of Lotte Biologics was low,” Jang said. “This year, as news of our actual contract wins has spread, client confidence in us has grown.”
Jang described Lotte Biologics’ recent contract manufacturing agreement with Alvotech for biologic drugs as “a case that demonstrates the competitiveness of our U.S. manufacturing facilities.”
In particular, Jang said, “Before the contract was signed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted an unannounced five-day inspection of our Syracuse facility and found no observations.” He added that the confirmation of the company’s quality management capabilities helped the agreement with Alvotech move forward quickly.
The two companies plan to initially use the Syracuse facility for production and are also discussing expanding manufacturing to Lotte Biologics’ Songdo facility in Incheon if production volumes increase in the future.
Another competitive advantage Lotte Biologics highlights is its ability to carry out key manufacturing steps for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at a single site.
ADCs are therapies that combine a potent cancer-killing drug with an antibody that targets cancer cells. At the Syracuse facility, the process can be handled in one location, from antibody production through drug conjugation, reducing the time and cost associated with transporting materials between facilities. This also helps ease concerns about various risks that can arise during transportation.
“Japanese companies consider price important, but above all, they tend to scrutinize quality and past manufacturing track records,” Jang said. “Given the stringent regulatory standards of Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), we are focusing on maintaining smooth technical communication with clients.”
Lotte Biologics plans to hold a completion ceremony next month for Plant 1 at its Songdo Bio Campus in Incheon. The facility will have a production capacity of 120,000 liters for antibody-based drugs and is expected to serve as a key hub for large-scale commercial manufacturing.
“We brought forward our target for GMP manufacturing readiness by about six months from the original plan of April next year,” Jang said, referring to good manufacturing practice standards. “We accelerated preparations by deploying experienced personnel from our Syracuse facility to Songdo and facilitating exchanges between staff in the two countries.”
He added, “We plan to invite not only existing clients but also prospective customers with whom we are in discussions to the completion ceremony. We intend to use it as an opportunity to show them the facility’s state of readiness firsthand and strengthen their confidence in us.”