Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Chime to Collaborate on Dupixent Biosimilar Development and Production

On June 2, Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced that it had signed a contract manufacturing and development agreement (CDMO) and a commercial-stage cooperation agreement with Chime Biologics, a global biopharmaceutical CDMO company, for the development of a biosimilar of Dupixent®.

This agreement aims to establish a foundation for the development, production, and commercialization of a biosimilar for Dupixent, a global blockbuster immunology treatment. Through this contract, Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to target the biosimilar market for ultra-large biopharmaceuticals and accelerate the expansion of its global biosimilar business.

Park Sungsoo, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical (left), and Jimmy Wei, CEO of Chime Biologics (right), are posing for a commemorative photo at the signing ceremony for the development of the biosimilar of Dupixent. Daewoong Pharmaceutical

The signing ceremony was held on May 28 at Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s headquarters in Gangnam, Seoul, and was attended by key executives and officials from both companies. With this agreement, the two companies have established a business structure that encompasses cooperation from the development of the Dupixent biosimilar to production and commercialization stages.

The agreement consists of two main pillars. First, the two companies signed a contract manufacturing and development agreement for the Dupixent biosimilar, aiming to enhance development reliability and production efficiency by leveraging Chime Biologics’ capabilities in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing.

In addition, the two companies have entered into a separate cooperation agreement for the commercialization stage. This goes beyond a simple contract manufacturing and development relationship, establishing a business structure that allows both parties to jointly expand the product’s commercial success in the future. Based on this agreement, Daewoong Pharmaceutical will strengthen its foundation for executing a biosimilar business that connects development, manufacturing, and global commercialization.

Dupixent is an immunology treatment, indicated for conditions such as atopic dermatitis and asthma. It works by inhibiting the interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 signaling pathways, and its indications have been expanded to include chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, prurigo nodularis, eosinophilic esophagitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Last year, Dupixent recorded global sales of approximately USD 17.8 billion (about KRW 27 trillion), making it an ultra-large blockbuster product. As its prescription base continues to grow in the immunology treatment sector, it is expected to attract significant attention in the biosimilar market after its patent expires in 2029.

With this agreement, Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to further broaden its global biopharmaceutical portfolio. Following the growth of Nabota into a global product with annual sales of KRW 228.9 billion, the company aims to foster the Dupixent biosimilar as its next-generation global biopharmaceutical, establishing a new growth engine for the company.

In particular, this agreement is significant in that it goes beyond simple contract manufacturing and connects the development, production, and commercialization stages. Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to expand its biosimilar portfolio in the immunology field and continuously secure globally competitive biopharmaceutical products.

Sungsoo Park, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, stated, “This agreement will be an important milestone for Daewoong Pharmaceutical to actively expand its global biosimilar business. We will continue to strengthen our capabilities in the development, production, and commercialization of biosimilars for blockbuster biopharmaceuticals, securing competitive products in the global market.”

Jimmy Wei, CEO of Chime Biologics, said, “Based on Chime Biologics’ capabilities in biopharmaceutical development and production, we will actively support Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s development and global commercialization of the Dupixent biosimilar.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.