United BioPharma (UBP) will collaborate with Yangzhou high technology industry park to build a world-class biopharmaceutical facility in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China, to support the increased demand of monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs seen there. The collaboration agreement was signed in April, 2017.
The Chinese therapeutic mAb market in 2016 was around ¥10.4 billion and is expected to reach ¥ 30 billion by 2022 according to projections by market analysts.
UBP is a clinical stage biotech company focussed on research, development and manufacture of biosimilar mAb therapeutics for infectious, cancerous and immunological diseases.
UBP has also registered and established two subsidiary companies: a clinical development centre and a protein drug manufacturing base in Shanghai and Yangzhou, respectively.
The UBP Yangzhou subsidiary signed ¥250 million loan agreement with Yangzhou high technology industry park on 3 March. The fund is to support the manufacturing plant construction, process-related equipment procurement and early stage operation.
The UBP subsidiary will rapidly assemble a Chinese team in Shanghai and Yangzhou, aiming to complete clinical development of 2-3 mAb drug candidates within 5 years.