Korea to build open CMC platform with new joint R&D project

The industry ministry said Tuesday it will pursue a new joint research and development project with the science ministry to build an open CMC platform.

CMC stands for Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls — the process of proving to regulators that a drug can be made safely and at consistent quality from raw material through to market launch. The platform is intended to offer services across the full development cycle, from optimizing drug candidates through preclinical and clinical stages.

The plan was discussed at a "CMC Industry Capability Strengthening Seminar" held at Widen Tower in the Pangyo Techno Valley 2 complex, where Vice Minister Moon Shin-hak met with pharmaceutical experts. About 60 specialists from industry, academia and research institutes attended the event, which was jointly organized by the Korea CMC Service Industry Research Cooperative, the National New Drug Development Foundation, Yonsei University's bioprocess specialist training program and the Korea Federation of Industrial Technology Research Associations.

"CMC is a core competitiveness that determines the success or failure of new drug development," Moon said, adding that the government plans to support research and development, workforce training and expert consulting to secure global competitiveness in the CMC industry.