Celltrion to seek new drug, CDMO partners at int'l pharmaceutical exhibition in Milan

Celltrion will use one of the world's largest pharmaceutical trade shows next month to seek partners in new drug development, contract manufacturing and supply chains, the Korean biopharmaceutical company said Tuesday. The company will take part in CPHI Worldwide, which runs Oct. 6-8 in Milan. Now in its 37th year, the event covers pharmaceutical manufacturing, supply chains and contract development and manufacturing. More than 60,000 industry professionals from about 2,400 companies in some 170 countries are expected to attend. Celltrion, best known for biosimilars — lower-cost versions of biologic drugs whose patents have expired — said it will look for partners in oncology, obesity and metabolic diseases, and autoimmune diseases. The company said its new drug research in these areas has recently begun producing results. It described the effort as part of its push to become a global developer of new drugs. As demand for its main products grows, the company also plans to strengthen existing partnerships with overseas raw material suppliers and contract manufacturers. It will look f