The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced on the 13th that the ADC (Antibody Drug Conjugate) technology, pioneered by the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), has been transferred to HoneyBear Biosciences, a company invested by SCI Pharmtech Inc., with a total licensing amount of NT$690 million, a new record for DCB technology transfer. 

According to Chyou-Huey Chiou, Director General of Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs, ADC is a drug that can combine the navigational functions of antibodies with the powerful cancer-killing effects of small molecule drugs, and can be used to combat difficult-to-treat cancers, thus attracting many large pharmaceutical companies to invest in its development. The global market is expected to grow fivefold to US$40 billion by 2028.

DCB said that with the support of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Centre has developed a new generation of new ADC drug technology and licensed the trimannosyl bonding technology platform and two products to HoneyBear Biosciences, for NT$690 million, in the hope of entering the global tens of billions of dollars ADC drug market through a three-way collaboration between the center, HoneyBear Biosciences and SCI Pharmtech. 

DCB pointed out that the two ADC drugs licensed to HoneyBear Biosciences will be taken over by the company for clinical trials and there is a chance that Taiwan's own ADC drugs will be available in five years' time.

The chairman of SCI Pharmtech, Wei-Chyun Wong, said that for the past 30 years, the company has gained a key position in the API market in Taiwan. The investment in HoneyBear Biosciences is not only focused on the fast-growing global market dynamics of ADC drugs and the long-term ADC technology platform, but also hopes to use SCI's experience in API manufacturing to help Taiwan biotech companies to quickly enter the supply chain of high-end new precision therapeutics industry.

Shiing-Jer Twu, chairman of DCB, pointed out that the ADC drug is a combination of a targeted antibody and a small-molecule drug that can kill cancer cells, and the antibody is navigated to cancer cells. This will result in a much higher degree of clinical predictability than other new drugs and will be more likely to receive accelerated FDA priority review, effectively saving over 50% of the drug development time.

In addition, Chiou said that in order to support the development of Taiwan's biotechnology industry, the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Industrial Technology will continue to invest NT$40 billion  over the next four years in the research and development of biotechnology and medical technologies, including four major areas: nucleic acid drugs, cell therapy, digital medicine and CDMO.