Huons eyes CDMO expansion with increased stake in biopharma firm Pangen
Published: 12 Jun. 2025, 10:30
![Huons of Huons Group has recently acquired additional shares of Pangen, expecting enhanced synergy among group affiliates in the biopharmaceutical sector. [HUONS GROUP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/12/e5610f2a-ad20-4e46-9551-ca22ed5938c1.jpg)
Huons of Huons Group has recently acquired additional shares of Pangen, expecting enhanced synergy among group affiliates in the biopharmaceutical sector. [HUONS GROUP]
Huons Group plans to strengthen global competitiveness in biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services through Pangen, which aims to increase performance based on its core biosimilar and CDMO businesses.
Pangen is a specialized biopharmaceutical company that built Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facilities for biopharmaceutical production in 2011. The company successfully developed erythropoietin (EPO), a biosimilar for anemia treatment, becoming the first in Korea to prove noninferiority with the original Eprex product. Pangen received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2019.
The company possesses PanGen CHO-Tech, a core technology platform essential for biopharmaceutical development. This CHO cell-specialized protein expression technology includes production cell line development and manufacturing process development technologies fundamental to biopharmaceutical development.
Using its GMP facilities and proprietary technology, Pangen has executed multiple technology transfer contracts and received annual royalties that are expected to increase as its partners’ sales grow.
Contract Development Organization (CDO) services involve establishing high-performance recombinant CHO production cell lines using platform technology and transferring manufacturing process technologies needed for biopharmaceutical development.
Pangen’s CMO and CDO revenues continue to grow steadily. Combined CDMO revenue increased 144 percent year after year to 6.27 billion won ($4.58 million) in 2024, accounting for 42.7 percent of total revenue.
Recently, Pangen signed a 1.9 billion won CMO contract with CHA Vaccine Institute for their proprietary project. In March, the company signed an 800 million won process characterization research contract with Huons Lab for biopharmaceutical product licensing, maximizing synergies among Huons Group affiliates.
Pangen serves as the production base for human-derived hyaluronidase being developed by Huons Lab, having successfully completed the production and supply of clinical samples and three batches of licensing materials. Huons Lab plans to focus solely on research and development (R&D) without maintaining in-house API manufacturing facilities, with bio APIs produced at Pangen and API products finished at Humedix for global pharmaceutical partnerships and international expansion.
Pangen’s EPO biosimilar revenue continues growing steadily, accounting for 38.5 percent of total revenue in 2024.
The company produces EPO biosimilars for kidney disease-related anemia treatment, selling in multiple domestic and international markets. Pangen received approval from Malaysia’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency in February 2019.
Domestically, the product Panpotin received Drug Safety Ministry approval in 2019 and has been sold since February 2020. Sales continue expanding with approval in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
“Pangen expects expanded performance growth through core business activation and will contribute to Huons Group’s biopharmaceutical R&D and CDMO business development,” said Pangen CEO Yoon Jae-seung.
BY LEE YEBIN [[email protected]]
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