Competition heats up in global antibody-drug conjugate market

Ambrx Biopharma [Courtesy of Ambrx Biopharma]

The global race to dominate the rapidly growing antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) market is intensifying while ADC becomes a promising therapeutic agent for cancer treatment.

Last year, global pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and MSD embarked on consecutive big deals to secure ADC technology. From the start of this year, Johnson & Johnson joined the competition, while major pharmaceutical companies in Korea are also making strides in the ADC therapy sector.

On January 8, Johnson & Johnson announced the acquisition of ADC developer Ambrx Biopharma for $2 billion. Ambrx possesses three ADC candidates in phases 1 and 2 clinical trials. Johnson & Johnson is particularly interested in ARX517, a candidate for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA).

ADC technology involves combining antibodies that bind to cancer cells with drugs that eliminate them, precisely delivering the medication only to cancer cells.

According to Markets and Markets analysis, the global ADC market is projected to reach $19.8 billion by 2028.

In Korea, ADC has become an inevitable trend.

Following a licensing deal with domestic company Pinotbio for an ADC platform for 15 targets, Celltrion has invested in UK-based ADC specialist company Iksuda Therapeutics, securing a maximum stake of 47.05 percent.

Samsung Biologics, in collaboration with Samsung C&T and Samsung Bioepis, has invested in domestic and international ADC developers through its Life Science Fund. The company is also in the process of establishing dedicated production facilities for ADC pharmaceuticals as a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) partner for global big pharmas.

Chong Kun Dang has secured rights to use three ADC platform technologies from the Netherlands-based Synaffix and is gearing up for full-scale development of ADC therapies from this year. Other Korean companies like Alteogen, ABL Bio, and Lotte Biologics have already declared their entry into the ADC market.