Lotte Biologics launches ADC manufacturing facility at Syracuse site, signs customer

Lotte Biologics has begun full-scale operations at its newly completed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing facility in Syracuse, New York, following the signing of a production agreement with an Asia-based biotech company.

The deal covers a clinical-stage ADC candidate and represents the facility’s first commercial order. The Syracuse site, developed with a $100 million investment, marks the official launch of Lotte Biologics’ ADC contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services. 

The company aims to support clients from clinical development through to commercial-scale production, offering end-to-end capabilities including conjugation, purification, in-house quality control testing, and aseptic filling.

The facility includes a single-use system and a 1,000-liter conjugation reactor, enabling flexible manufacturing for various client needs. Lotte Biologics plans to use the initial contract as a springboard to expand its customer base and strengthen the company’s position in the growing ADC therapeutics market.

“With this contract as a starting point, we will ensure a stable supply of high-quality ADC therapeutics and solidify our position in the global market, not only as an antibody manufacturer, but also as a CDMO specializing in ADCs,” Lotte Biologics CEO James Park said in a statement.

Lotte Biologics is rapidly expanding with a focus on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and the ADC market. The company is investing $1 billion in its Songdo Bio Campus in South Korea, with Plant 1 scheduled for completion this year and full-scale commercial production by 2027 — bringing online 120,000 liters of biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. The plan overall is to build three plants at the Incheon site by 2030 and achieve full operation by 2034.

Park, who took the helm of Lotte Biologics in December 2024, told Pharma Manufacturing last month that “there’s definitely going to be a need for more mAbs in the near future, which is one of the reasons why we’re building large capacity in Korea.”

At the same time, with the looming threat of tariffs from the Trump administration, Park sees his CDMO as well-positioned to manage the geopolitical tensions and uncertainty in the industry with its U.S. footprint. “We’re in a good place in terms of having a facility in Syracuse,” he said.