SEOUL– British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said Tuesday that Samsung Biologics Co., the biotech arm of Samsung Group, will manufacture its antibody combination against COVID-19.
Under an agreement valued at approximately US$380 million, Samsung Biologics will manufacture AZD7442 — AstraZeneca’s combination of two long-acting antibodies in development for the potential treatment of COVID-19 — at its plant in Songdo, Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul.
The deal represents a hike from a long-term supply agreement valued at $331 million signed between the two firms in September.
The AZD7442 is the first antibody treatment against COVID-19 that has won an Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It has also won approval from drug authorities in other countries, including France and Italy.
The deal includes Samsung Bioglogics manufacturing AstraZeneca’s oncology drug Imfinzi at its plant starting next year.
Imfinzi has won approval in many countries, including South Korea, for the treatment of lung cancer. The drug is currently under study for the treatment of other cancers.
Source: Yonhap News Agency