ADC Emerging as Next-Generation Platform in Anti-cancer Drug Market...Global Big Pharma M&A Accelerates and CDMO Expansion in earnest

Nov 10, 2025

ADC Emerging as Next-Generation Platform in Anti-cancer Drug Market...Global Big Pharma M&A Accelerates and CDMO Expansion in earnest



While antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as the next-generation platform for the anticancer drug market, the global market is growing rapidly.

A detailed analysis report on the ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) industry published by Grosse Research on the 10th 'ADC industry reorganization: From technology competition to production competition' analyzed the technological evolution of ADC, global supply chain reorganization, and opportunity factors of domestic companies from various angles.

According to the report, ADC is a 'precision toxicity' anticancer drug platform that reduces side effects and increases cancer cell selectivity compared to existing chemical anticancer drugs, and is rapidly expanding its application from breast and blood cancers to lung and solid cancers. The global ADC market is expected to grow from about $14 billion in 2024 to more than $30 billion in 2028.




In particular, it is analyzed that the keywords of the ADC industry have shifted to technology → production → supply chain system. In the past, antibody, linker, and payload design technologies were the center of competition, but now large-scale manufacturing facilities, DAR homogeneity, and regulatory response capabilities have entered a stage that determines corporate value.

The report cited Big Pharma's large-scale strategic investments as key changes, including the Daiichi Sankyo-AstraZeneca collaboration, Pfizer's acquisition of Ciagen (about $43 billion), and the expansion of Lonza and Merck's production lines. AstraZeneca is building a $1.5 billion dedicated ADC production base in Singapore, and global CDMOs are pushing to expand production based on HPAPI (high-potency API).

Changes are also detected in Korea. Samsung Biologics is securing ADC production capacity and expanding global orders, and Lotte Biologics is also establishing a commercial production response system. Riga Chembio and ABLbio are accelerating global technology exports and clinical progress as they strengthen their ConjuALL platform technology and dual antibody-based ADC strategies, respectively.




Groth Research stated that `The ADC industry is no longer a single new drug development, but a structure determined by platform competition, production efficiency, and global partnerships.'"It is time for Korean companies to secure a strategic position in the global supply chain based on their platform and CDMO capabilities.'

CEO Han Yong-hee said "ADC is a treatment platform representing the era of precision cancer, a national strategic industry that combines R&D-manufacturing-global technology transfer" and "A value chain is being formed for domestic technology-based companies and CDMOs to grow together"






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.