Biotechnology company Rakuten Medical Inc announced on Wednesday that it has signed a biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing agreement with LOTTE Biologics, a South Korea-based company that operates integrated biologics facilities in the United States and South Korea.

This agreement is intended to strengthen Rakuten Medical's production capabilities for its oncology therapy, Alluminox platform-based photoimmunotherapy.

LOTTE Biologics will provide advanced manufacturing services for monoclonal antibody intermediates and their conjugates, supporting Rakuten Medical's global clinical development and future commercialisation.

Rakuten Medical's proprietary photoimmunotherapy technology is designed to selectively target cells in solid tumours, by combining cell-targeting moieties, such as antibodies, with light-activatable agents, enabling focal and selective destruction of solid tumour cells upon light exposure. The therapy is approved in Japan for recurrent head and neck cancer.

A global Phase 3 clinical trial is underway in the United States, Taiwan region and Japan, with plans to start treatment in Ukraine and Poland soon. Rakuten Medical also plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in Japan for other solid tumours beyond head and neck cancer this year.