Huons’ R&D to centralize for faster, better breakthroughs

Huons Group plans to relocate to the Huons Group R&D Center within the year to better concentrate the group’s R&D capacity.

An architectural rendering of the Huons Group R&D Center in Gwacheon [HUONS]

Huons Group plans to relocate to the Huons Group R&D Center within the year to better concentrate the group’s R&D capacity.

The pharmaceutical manufacturing conglomerate is constructing the research lab in the Gwacheon Knowledge Information Town in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. Construction began in 2021 with a total investment of approximately 71.2 billion won ($53.4 million).

Once construction is completed by the end of this month, the relocation will begin in November. Apart from its headquarters in Pangyo, the research organizations, facilities, and labor force of Huons and other subsidiaries will consolidate in Gwacheon to strengthen interdepartmental communication and improve R&D synergy.

Huons Group is conducting in-house research on novel drugs, modified new drugs, health functional foods, medical devices and more. It is also carrying out new modes of research development such as introducing novel drug candidates and adopting an open innovation R&D model that encourages collaboration with external entities.

The group recently received government subsidies for an obesity and diabetes drug with the selection of an oral peptide drug under development that was selected for the 2024 Materials & Components Technology Development Program hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Sept. 6.

Huons is leading research into technology for novel oral drug formulations with Chung-Ang University, Kookmin University and Sunkyunkwan University that aims to develop absorbefacients to improve bioavailability, formulation technologies, production and manufacturing technologies and more.

Huons Group’s subsidiaries are also seeking out a competitive edge through R&D.

Humedix is conducting clinical trials for a polynucleotide sodium composite filler — a novel product developed to drive sales. The firm aims to release the product in 2026 after finishing clinical trials in the latter half of this year and filing for approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Humedix is pursuing ways to locally manufacture heparin sodium, a pharmaceutical raw material that is listed on the World Health Organization (WHO) Model Lists of Essential Medicines. Korea currently relies on imports from China for the anticoagulant.

In March, the Korean firm became the first to register a heparin sodium Drug Master File documenting the whole manufacturing process with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and is preparing for commercial production.

Elsewhere within the group, medical device and cosmetics subsidiary HuM&C developed a manufacturing recipe for a nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) cosmetic tool that can suppress the generation of the nitrosamine, a highly toxic carcinogen.

Nitrosamines, formed during rubber product manufacturing, is classified as a group 2 carcinogen, the second highest ranking, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer by the WHO.

Two years of research by HuM&C led to the development of an NBR-based cosmetic tool-manufacturing recipe that suppresses the generation of nitrosamine.

“With the Huons Group R&D Center as our base, we will continue to expand research and development,” a Huons spokesperson said.

BY KIM YEONSOO [kim.yeonsoo1@joongang.co.kr]