Celltrion develops oral antibody drug with US bio company

South Korea's biopharmaceutical company Celltrion Inc. on Monday said it signed an R&D contract with US-based Rani Therapeutics on RT-111, an oral antibody drug.

RT-111 is an oral drug that uses ustekinumab, an ingredient in autoimmune disease treatment approved for use in the US under the name Stelara and produced by Rani Therapeutics. Rani has the technology to convert intravenous and subcutaneous injection-type proteins and antibody drugs for oral use.

Under the contract, Celltrion will be the exclusive supplier of CT-P43, a biosimilar of the generic bio drug Stelara, required for non-clinical and Phase 1 clinical trials of RT-111, and receive priority negotiation rights for global development and sales. The company recently confirmed the efficiency and safety of CT-P43 in global Phase 3 clinical trials.

In addition to developing RT-111, Celltrion will expand collaboration by applying Rani Therapeutics' technology to other products.

"While developing CT-P43 on our own, we will collaborate on the development of oral treatment using ustekinumab to secure differentiated product competitiveness, and we hope this platform brings innovation and diversity to future pipelines," a Celltrion source said.

Talat Imran, CEO of Rani Therapeutics, said his company looks forward to the results of research and for its partnership with Celltrion to expand.

Write to Jae-Young Han at jyhan@hankyung.com