[Report] Major CDMOs Eye Korean Bio Market as BIX 2025 Opens

Hosted by Korea Bio Association, BioPlus-Interphex Korea
Major CDMOs Including Samsung Biologics, Lonza, and Fujifilm Participate
Samsung Bioepis Presents a Large-Scale Booth

The largest bio business event in Korea, "BioPlus-Interphex Korea 2025 (BIX 2025)," opened on October 15 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Hosted by the Korea Bio Association and organized by RX Korea, the event features 550 booths from over 300 companies representing 15 countries. The opening ceremony was attended by more than 450 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Industry, related organizations, and domestic and international companies.

At the opening ceremony, Koh Hanseung, chairman of the Korea Bio Association and head of future business planning at Samsung Electronics, stated, "Institutional support and ecosystem efforts are needed even amid uncertainty," adding, "I hope you will experience the future of the industry, which is expanding into green, white, and cultivated foods."

Koh Hanseung, chairman of the Korea Bio Association, delivers the opening address at 'BioPlus-Interphex Korea 2025' held on the 15th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Korea Bio Association

The opening program "BIX Inspiration," now in its second year, featured a keynote speech by Park Oijin, CEO of the artificial intelligence platform company Acryl, under the theme "BIO-AX BLOOM: Beyond two Matters." He drew attention by presenting the value-driven role of artificial intelligence technology in achieving a healthy life.

The opening keynote session was even more robust this year. In the online keynote presentation session, Dr. Robert Hariri, a leading expert in cell therapy, delivered a special lecture on the theme "Stopping Aging and Breaking Limits: The Era of Cellular and Regenerative Medicine." The on-site panel discussion included Lee Byunggun, chairman of the Korea Supporters Association of the International Vaccine Institute, and Cha Kwangryeol, head of the global research institute at CHA Hospital and CHA Bio Group. They engaged in an in-depth discussion on the current state of global pluripotent stem cells, the strengths of K-Cell, and the future potential of anti-aging therapies.

The VIP tour that followed the opening ceremony was attended by Chairman Koh Hanseung and about 20 key guests, who visited 13 exhibition booths, including those of major companies such as Samsung Bioepis, Samsung Biologics, Johnson & Johnson, Cytiva, and Marken, as well as the Bio Materials & Components Special Hall and the Bio Future Food Industry Council, sharing the latest industry trends.

Major Bio Company Booths Including Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis

Samsung Biologics introduced its new CMO (contract manufacturing) brand, "ExellenS™." By 2032, Samsung Biologics aims to achieve a production capacity of 1,324,000 liters and offer end-to-end (full-cycle) services that combine organoids, CDO (contract development), and next-generation modalities. ExellenS refers to an operational system that enhances technology transfer speed and regulatory approval potential through equivalent design, process, and systems across factories.

Kim Kyunga, CEO of Samsung Bioepis, is visiting the company's booth at "BioPlus-Interphex Korea 2025" held on the 15th at COEX, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Samsung Bioepis

The Samsung Bioepis booth was designed to allow visitors to directly experience the visual and physical discomforts of patients. The booth featured a VR (virtual reality) device that simulates the visual distortion experienced by patients with macular degeneration and special gloves that restrict hand movement to mimic rheumatoid arthritis. A Samsung Bioepis representative explained, "By allowing visitors to feel the discomfort of these diseases firsthand, we aimed to intuitively convey the value of our therapies," adding, "Macular degeneration can be treated with SB11, and rheumatoid arthritis with SB5, both biosimilars developed by Samsung Bioepis." Kim Kyunga, CEO of Samsung Bioepis, visited the booth in the morning to tour the exhibition herself.

STGenBio, which achieved its first annual operating profit last year and continues to grow, also made its presence felt at BIX 2025. The company highlighted its proven quality competitiveness, having passed simultaneous inspections by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) last year. At the booth, the company focused on engaging potential clients and explained that new orders are increasing rapidly, already exceeding current production capacity. Accordingly, STGenBio is actively promoting its plans to expand production facilities and grow its global business.

Lonza, a competitor of Samsung Biologics in the CDMO market, also set up an exhibition booth. Lonza highlighted "specialized modalities (therapies)" and "Integrated Biologics," an antibody-based platform with multiple sites, as well as ADCs, viral vectors, and exosomes under "Specialized Modalities." The company emphasized that cold chain management and proximity to hospitals are key to success in cell therapy, pointing to the regulatory and workforce advantages of its distributed sites in Houston, the U.S. East Coast, and Europe. While acknowledging the operational consistency of single-site operations, Lonza asserted the superiority of a distributed network in terms of geopolitics and market access.

Lonza and Fujifilm Target Korean Market with Next-Generation Modalities and CMO Raw Materials

At this year's BIX 2025, Lonza emphasized its CDMO capabilities focused on cell and gene therapy (CGT) and next-generation modalities. Shin Dongho, director of customer management at Lonza Singapore, said, "Cell therapy involves many patient-customized processes, so cold chain speed and proximity to hospitals are crucial," adding, "We have established production sites in Houston, the U.S. East Coast, and Europe, where major hospitals are concentrated, to enhance our local responsiveness."

The Fujifilm booth at BioPlus-InterPhex Korea 2025, which opened on the 15th. Photo by Jung Donghoon

He continued, "Although competition in the antibody drug CDMO sector is fierce in Korea, more biotech companies are showing interest in new modalities such as ADCs, viral vectors, and exosomes. We believe these companies will need Lonza's support for clinical trial material manufacturing, as well as technical and regulatory expertise, at the early stages of their global expansion."

Fujifilm, meanwhile, focused on its raw material supply chain rather than CDMO services at this exhibition. Park Yongjun, sales team manager at Fujifilm Korea, explained, "When a pharmaceutical company designates a specific medium in the bill of materials (BOM) during the new drug development stage, the CMO selects one of the 'qualified suppliers' listed. Fujifilm is approaching the Korean market with the strategy of being included in that list."

He added, "We supply raw materials not only to large CDMOs such as Samsung Biologics and Lotte Biologics, but also directly to small and medium-sized biotech companies at the early stages of antibody development. Building relationships from the clinical development stage and entering the pipeline early is the key."