[BioUSA] Global Bio Gathering... K-Bio Becomes the Trend

The World's Largest Event with 9,000 Companies from 88 Countries
Korea Ranks 1st Among Participants Outside the US

Led by Samsung Biologics with '12 Consecutive Years of Participation'
CDMO Industry Boosts Promotion Amid US-China Tensions

More than 300 domestic bio, pharmaceutical, and healthcare companies are heading to the United States. On the 3rd (local time), they will seek new opportunities at the world's largest bio event, the '2024 BIO International Convention (BIO USA),' opening at the San Diego Convention Center in California.

People are lining up to enter the Bio International Convention (BioUSA) held in Boston, USA, last June.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

BIO USA is a large-scale global bio event hosted by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) in the U.S., gathering over 9,000 companies from 88 countries worldwide. This year, it is held under the theme "Where Business and Innovation Converge." The event aims to cover the entire industry, including corporate investments and national bio policies. As such, it is expected to be an opportunity for domestic companies seeking overseas expansion. Last year, among participants from outside the U.S., the largest number came from Korea, showing significant interest from Korea as well.

Growing U.S.-China Conflict... Will CDMOs Enjoy 'Reflexive Benefits'?

The most notable focus at this year's BIO USA is the Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) industry. Traditionally, the 'Bio Process Zone,' a stage for global CDMO companies, occupies the center of the exhibition hall, and CDMOs have always been a major topic. However, this year, geopolitical issues have been added. As the U.S.-China hegemony competition intensifies, the U.S. Congress is pushing for the enactment of the 'Biosecurity Act,' which includes sanctions on Chinese bio companies, extending the impact to the bio industry. Wuxi Biologics of China, likely a direct target of the bill, is considered one of the global CDMO 'Big 4' alongside Samsung Biologics, Swiss Lonza, and U.S. Catalent, and has participated in BIO USA every year but declared non-participation this year. Its parent company, Wuxi AppTec, also announced withdrawal from BIO after BIO declared support for the Biosecurity Act in March.

A promotional banner of Samsung Biologics hanging on the main road near the venue of the BIO International Convention (BIO USA) held in San Diego, USA, in 2022.
[Photo by Samsung Biologics]

The domestic CDMO industry is expecting reflexive benefits and is taking a more aggressive approach to attracting customers. Samsung Biologics, which has set up a solo booth for 12 consecutive years since its founding in 2011 (excluding online events during COVID-19), plans to actively showcase its enhanced CDMO capabilities. It has prepared a large-scale booth of 139㎡, matching the world's largest CDMO production capacity (604,000 liters). More than 140 banners will be installed along Harbor Drive, the main road along the coast from San Diego Airport to the exhibition center, and on streetlights near the venue to further boost brand awareness.

This year, Samsung Biologics plans to pursue more active orders by unveiling a new slogan not only for Contract Manufacturing (CMO) but also for Contract Development (CDO) businesses. Additionally, continuing from last year, it will demonstrate its commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) by providing digital brochures via QR codes instead of traditional paper brochures and offering eco-friendly souvenir bags.

Other companies such as Lotte Biologics, SK Pharmteco, Matica Bio, ST Pharm, and Prestige Biologics will also set up solo booths to secure more clients. Lotte Biologics will introduce its Songdo Bio Campus under construction in Songdo, Incheon, and the Syracuse Bio Campus in the U.S., where it is building antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) facilities. Matica Bio of the Cha Bio Group will seek local customers based on its cell and gene therapy CDMO facility established in Texas in 2022.

Celltrion will also participate with a large-scale booth. Having successfully completed its merger with Celltrion Healthcare, it actively promotes its vision of advancing from biosimilars (biopharmaceutical generics) to a new drug development company. It plans to engage in partnering to secure various platforms such as ADC, bispecific antibodies, and microbiomes, including the autoimmune disease treatment Jimtentra launched in March.

'Largest Ever' Korean Pavilion... Showcasing the Status of K-Bio

The Korea Bio Association and KOTRA, organizing the Korean Pavilion for the 21st time, are operating the 'largest ever' Korean Pavilion. As part of the domestic bio industry's overseas exhibition support project, they have visited BIO USA every year, and this year, they plan to more than double the scale compared to previous years, visiting the U.S. with a total of 28 companies and institutions. Together with the Korea Exchange and others, they will also hold the Korea Biotech Partnership (KBTP) event to support not only the overseas expansion of domestic bio companies but also the entry of foreign companies into Korea.

A view of the Korea Pavilion at BioUSA 2023 held in Boston, USA, last June
[Photo by Korea Bio Association]

In addition, various domestic companies such as SK Bioscience, SK Biopharm, Medica Korea, InnoCrass, and PlaBiologics have set up solo booths, while organizations like Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency, Chuncheon Bio Industry Promotion Agency, Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT), and Suwon City have prepared joint booths to support companies. Notably, GC Cell has focused on more substantial operations by setting up a specialized partnering booth in the partnering space rather than the exhibition area. It is the first domestic company to have a solo booth within the partnering zone, targeting participants whose main purpose is partnership discussions.

In the corporate presentation sessions, companies such as Bridge Biotherapeutics, Boryung, GC Cell, Aribio, Geneedit, Future Medicine, Hisense Bio, InnoCrass, BioOrchestra, L&J Bio, and Neurobiogen will participate. Bridge Biotherapeutics, presenting for the third consecutive year, will have Pavel Prinsev, Director of Business Development, introduce the status of their pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer pipelines.