Celltrion to Seek Drug Development and Manufacturing Partners at Milan Pharma Show

South Korean biopharmaceutical company Celltrion will use a major industry exhibition in Milan next month to seek partners for new drug development, contract manufacturing and supply-chain expansion as it works to broaden its business beyond biosimilars.

The company is scheduled to attend CPHI Worldwide from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8. The annual event brings together companies involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing, sourcing, supply chains, and contract development and manufacturing. Organizers expect more than 60,000 industry professionals representing roughly 2,400 companies from about 170 countries.

Celltrion said it plans to hold discussions with prospective partners in oncology, obesity and metabolic diseases, and autoimmune diseases. The Korean drugmaker said its research programs in those areas have recently begun to produce results, supporting its longer-term goal of becoming a global developer of innovative medicines rather than relying primarily on biosimilars.

Biosimilars are lower-cost alternatives to biologic medicines whose patents have expired. They remain central to Celltrion’s international business, but the company has also been building capabilities in new-drug research and in contract development and manufacturing, commonly known as CDMO. Under that model, a pharmaceutical company develops or manufactures medicines on behalf of other drugmakers.

At the Milan event, Celltrion intends to present its experience in antibody-drug development and its manufacturing capacity to companies seeking CDMO services. The company also plans to strengthen relationships with existing overseas suppliers and contract manufacturers while identifying additional partners. Diversifying that network could help it secure raw materials, respond to growing demand for its main products and reduce supply costs.

This will be the fifth consecutive year since 2022 that Celltrion has operated its own booth at CPHI Worldwide. Its 2026 exhibition space will cover about 152 square meters and include a dedicated meeting room and a separate lounge designed to accommodate a full schedule of business discussions.

A company official said the exhibition would provide an opportunity to demonstrate Celltrion’s drug-development and manufacturing competitiveness to an international audience and reinforce a stable global supply chain. The planned meetings illustrate how the company is pairing its established biosimilar operations with a wider push into proprietary medicines and services for other pharmaceutical businesses.