Will a new chapter of "30 trillion won in technology transfers" be written this year? The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is in high spirits as major technology transfer contracts have been signed one after another by companies such as Alteogen, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, and Arirang Bio through the third quarter. Expectations for additional contract signings are also growing, as research and development (R&D) presentations are scheduled to continue at global academic conferences in the remaining second half of the year.
According to the Korea Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Industry Association, domestic pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have recorded a total of 13 technology transfer deals by the end of this month. Among these, the total cost of the 11th deals with disclosed amounts is approximately 2.16637 trillion won. The number of contracts per quarter was four in the first quarter, four in the second quarter, and five in the third quarter, with contract values of 1.3975 trillion won, 11.4609 trillion won, and 8.8053 trillion won, respectively. In particular, large-scale technology transfer contracts were concentrated after the second quarter.
While it is difficult to predict when a technology transfer will be finalized, global deals (transactions) are more frequently concluded at year-end than at the beginning of the year. This is because global pharmaceutical companies finalize their investment plans and conduct technology transfer discussions related to partnership building much more actively toward the end of the year compared to the start of the year.
In fact, an analysis by Mirae Asset Securities' Research Center of technology transfer contracts worth over 300 million dollars (approximately 407 billion won) from 2021 to 2025 revealed a recurring pattern where transactions were concentrated from October through January of the following year. In particular, in the fourth quarter of 2023, nearly 80 contracts were signed, bringing the total transaction value close to 20 billion dollars (27 trillion won).
Researchers Kim Seung-min, Kim Chung-hyun, and Seo Mi-hwa from Mirae Asset Securities stated, "Global technology transfer transactions tend to be concentrated in the fourth quarter." They added, "Global big pharma companies are in a situation where introducing external pipelines is urgent to respond to the patent cliff crisis, and demand for companies possessing innovative platforms remains solid."
The new drug research achievements of domestic companies participating in global academic conferences in the second half of the year are also drawing attention. First, at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO 2026) to be held in October, ABL Bio is scheduled to present clinical data on its core immunotherapy agents 'ABL111' and 'ABL503'. Intron Bio will present preclinical research results on a bacteriophage-based (a virus that uses bacteria as hosts) colorectal cancer immunotherapy agent. Ligacem Biotech also plans to disclose non-clinical research results and the design of global Phase 1/2 clinical trials for its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate 'LCB02A', which treats solid tumors.
In November, Celltrion, Alteogen, and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals will attend the ObesityWeek annual academic conference held in Washington D.C., USA, to disclose research achievements on obesity treatment drug candidates. On the 16th to 19th of the same month, Arirang Bio is scheduled to officially present detailed results from the global Phase 3 clinical trial of its oral dementia drug candidate 'AR1001' at the opening session of the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD 2026) conference in Boston, USA.
In addition, it will be a "point to watch" whether DND Pharma's MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) treatment 'Zavopegtid (code name DD01)', which successfully demonstrated efficacy through Phase 2/2a clinical trials, and Gangstem Biotech's osteoarthritis treatment 'Oscar' will become the stars of a major global technology transfer. An industry official said, "Korean companies are emerging as key partners across core pipelines such as obesity, dementia, and ADCs, which are of interest in the global biotechnology market." They added, "The fourth quarter traditionally coincides with the execution of large-scale R&D budgets by global big pharma companies, leading to many 'big deals' being finalized. Therefore, the momentum from consecutive academic conferences in the second half could lead to major contracts."
in THEBIO
