Amicogen, Antibiotics in High Demand Amid US-China Trade Dispute... World’s First Commercialization of 3rd Generation Expected

Designated as Essential Antibiotics Worldwide
Commercialization of SC Enzyme for Synthesizing 3rd Generation Cephalosporins Imminent
Expected to Be the World's Only Company Producing All Cephalosporins via Enzymatic Method

Amicogen announced on the 25th that it will expand its antibiotic business to the global market to resolve risks in the global antibiotic supply chain.

As the US-China trade dispute intensifies, risks in the global antibiotic supply chain are increasing. Europe, Japan, and the US have designated antibiotics as essential medicines, leading to increased demand for domestic production. Amicogen is actively establishing global partnerships with pharmaceutical companies in India, Europe, and Japan and expanding its antibiotic business.

Amicogen has accumulated experience in cephalosporin antibiotic intermediates and antibiotic active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) with European and Chinese pharmaceutical companies. Based on over 20 years of successful experience and technology in eco-friendly antibiotics (Green API), Amicogen has been conducting antibiotic projects with Indian pharmaceutical companies since 2022. Since 2023, it has been promoting antibiotic projects using enzyme technologies such as CX and DX with European pharmaceutical companies.

Amicogen expects that once technology transfers with overseas partners are commercialized, enzyme sales along with royalties will increase starting next year. Since last year, it has been working on projects with Japanese pharmaceutical companies and will export CX enzymes for ‘7-ACA’ production for the first time this month.

Amicogen replaced all chemical methods previously used in China with its enzyme-based method. Subsequently, it challenged the development of ‘7-ADCA,’ the second largest key intermediate among cephalosporin antibiotic raw materials. In 2019, Amicogen succeeded for the first time in the world in developing fermentation and enzyme-based ‘7-ADCA’ technology (DX) and transferred the technology to China’s global number one pharmaceutical company. Using DX technology, more than 1,000 tons of ‘7-ADCA’ are produced annually, generating royalties. By replacing the existing chemical synthesis method with an eco-friendly enzyme method, Amicogen has contributed not only to improving antibiotic quality but also to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2 million tons annually.

Amicogen is striving to convert all existing chemically synthesized antibiotics to eco-friendly enzyme methods. Following the successful development of enzymes for producing key cephalosporin antibiotic intermediates such as ‘7-ACA’ and ‘7-ADCA,’ Amicogen has developed enzymes used in the synthesis of cephalosporin and penicillin antibiotics (APIs) such as cephradine, cefaclor, and amoxicillin, and has begun selling them to pharmaceutical companies. The side chain ‘D-HPG,’ necessary for producing amoxicillin, one of the most widely used antibiotics worldwide, is currently produced by chemical synthesis. Amicogen has developed an enzyme (HX) for producing ‘D-HPG’ and is currently conducting production application tests with several companies.

Amicogen is on the verge of commercializing SC enzymes for synthesizing third-generation cephalosporin antibiotics such as ceftriaxone and cefixime, which have been under development for the past 10 years. These third-generation cephalosporins have complex side chain structures that have made enzyme synthesis difficult until now, but Amicogen aims to achieve the world’s first commercialization success using its gene evolution and protein engineering technologies.

Amicogen expects to become the only company in the world capable of producing all cephalosporin antibiotics using enzyme methods through various third-generation cephalosporin enzyme synthesis technologies.