While most of South Korean CDMO SK pharmteco’s recent moves have been geared toward boosting its capacity to produce gene therapies, the company’s newest initiative will bolster its small-molecule and peptide manufacturing capabilities.
Monday, SK revealed that it will spend $260 million to construct its fifth production site in its home country, this one in Sejong.
The 135,800-square-foot factory will have eight production chains and is scheduled to begin operations in late 2026. It will include peptide R&D facilities, kilo labs and a pilot plant for peptide manufacturing. SK plans to employ 300-plus people at the site.
The facility will be able to accommodate early-stage clinical projects and offer commercial production support, serving as a “cornerstone” of the company’s manufacturing network once it comes online.
SK’s construction plan at the site includes building a shell for another facility as it endeavors to meet the “growing demand” for small molecules and peptides.
“By expanding our capacity and capabilities, we can offer even faster turnaround times, increased flexibility, and a higher level of quality,” Yongwoo Park, SK’s president of small molecules in Asia, said in a release.
SK already has a plant in the Myeonghak Industrial Complex in Sejong which produces active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The campus is 30 minutes from the company’s R&D complex in Daejeon.
Two years ago, SK’s parent company SK bioscience unveiled a a plan to boost development and manufacturing of vaccines and cell and gene therapies, which it dubbed SKBS 3.0.
Last year, the company took a controlling stake in the Philadelphia-based Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) for an undisclosed sum. That move came after it invested $350 million in CBM, which was established in 2019 at a former GSK site.
Πηγή: fiercepharma.com
