Celltrion forges partnership with Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer to produce Remsima drug substance

[Celltrion]

SEOUL -- In an effort to diversify manufacturing lines and increase production, Celltrion, a major bio firm in South Korea, has forged a strategic partnership with Lonza, a Swiss company, to produce drug substance for Remsima, a copy of Janssen Biotech's Remicade treating rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the two companies said that they have signed a contract manufacturing deal to produce Remsima drug substance in Lonza's facility in Singapore to cover market demands in North America and Europe.

"The stable manufacturing system and superb product quality management were the most important factors in choosing our partner Lonza," Celltrion CEO Kee Woo-sung was quoted as saying. Kee said that the partnership with Lonza would provide a great opportunity for Celltrion to expand its global supplying capacity.

The two companies have worked together on the validation of drug substance to be produced at Lonza's facility in Singapore before applying for approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"In the competitive biosimilars market, we can support Celltrion with our experience in biologics as it enables broader patient access to affordable, life-changing therapies," said Lonza CEO Marc Funk.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com

Celltrion forges partnership with Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer to produce Remsima drug substance

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