On July 25th, CJ Bioscience, an independent corporation under CJ CheilJedang's Red Bio, made an announcement, confirming the addition of 15 new drug candidates to their microbiome-based drug pipeline. This achievement solidifies CJ Bioscience’s position as a leading company in the field of microbiome-based drug development.

The process of securing these 15 promising drug pipelines commenced in March 2023, with CJ Bioscience acquiring 11 of them from 4D Pharma, a distinguished UK and Ireland-based microbiome drug development company. The company also pursued in-house developments, strategically prioritizing drug candidates that complement their existing projects. To accelerate drug development efforts, CJ Bioscience has been assembling an advanced and exclusive strain library and database utilizing European gut microbiome-related data collected alongside the pipeline.

Currenrtly, CJ Bioscience possesses a total of 15 pipelines in their portfolio, comprising four internally developed drug candidates and 11 acquired from 4D Pharma. The internal pipeline targets indications such as solid tumors, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and asthma, while the acquired pipeline covers indications like solid tumors, IBD, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), asthma, and Parkinson's disease.

Remarkably, CJ Bioscience has exceeded expectations by achieving their goal of securing 10 pipelines by 2025, which was originally set during the company's launch in January 2022. Achieving this milestone two years ahead of schedule has propelled CJ Bioscience to the forefront of the industry in terms of both the quantity and quality of drug candidates.

Among their diverse drug pipelines, a key focus for CJ Bioscience is the flagship oral anticancer drug, CJRB-101. Specifically designed for solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, CJRB-101 has demonstrated potent anticancer effects in monotherapy. Its efficacy is further enhanced when used in combination with the immunotherapeutic drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab).

CJ Bioscience has received approval for the Investigational New Drug (IND) application of CJRB-101's phase 1/2 clinical trials from both the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Patient recruitment for these trials is scheduled to commence in September 2023, with the phase 1 trial targeted for completion by the first half of 2025. Renowned lung cancer expert, Professor Byoung-Chul Cho, director of the Lung Cancer Center at Yonsei Cancer Center, will lead multinational clinical trials in South Korea and the United States.

CJ Bioscience's drug pipelines, particularly the promising CJRB-101, have garnered significant interest from major global pharmaceutical companies, validating the potential value and importance of the company's ongoing drug development endeavors.