KB News Desk
Samsung Epis Holdings has opened its first overseas research and development office in Beijing, looking to leverage the local talent and infrastructure to speed up new drug discovery.
According to Samsung Epis Holdings on Wednesday, it held an official opening ceremony for Samsung Bioepis China on the previous day.
In May, the firm announced that it had recently set up Samsung Bioepis China, a fully owned subsidiary, in Beijing’s Changping district, without disclosing the size of the investment.
Samsung Epis Holdings said the new Chinese facility will focus on securing platform technologies and bolstering new drug development capabilities with a particular emphasis on antibody-drug conjugates.
Changping, home of the Zhongguancun Life Science Park, is one of China’s major biotech clusters. As the area is close to top Chinese institutions such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, the Korean drug developer said the proximity will offer access to a strong research ecosystem and talent pool.
The R&D center is expected to operate as a locally specialized research organization with staff members recruited in China.
“Through the opening of the Chinese R&D center, our global R&D network has taken its first step,” said Kim Kyung-ah, CEO of Samsung Epis Holdings.
“Moving forward, we will try to continue expanding our new businesses such as innovative new drug candidate discovery in close cooperation with China’s biotechnology ecosystem.”
