(Yicai) April 9 -- BeiGene, a drugmaker specializing in oncology, has built its own factory in Guangzhou for antibody-drug conjugates, which are a targeted therapy for treating cancer, to reinforce its innovative drug development and production.

The factory, which was put into operation yesterday, will be used to assemble ADCs, which are a targeted treatment that involves attaching a tiny cancer drug to an antibody that then delivers the drug to afflicted cells, the cancer drug maker said the same day. Unlike chemotherapy, ADCs do not kill healthy cells and they have become a popular research direction in the tumor field.

Covering 58,000 square meters, the plant consists of two production workshops and supporting facilities, it said. The facility can also perform ultrafiltration purification and aseptic tank lyophilization and is equipped with a laboratory dedicated to ADCs to fully support technology transfers and commercialization.

BeiGene has chosen to make its own ADCs instead of sourcing them from a third party, mainly because the ADC production process is very complex and requires a high level of technology, President and Chief Operating Officer Wu Xiaobin told Yicai. By building its own factory, BeiGene can guarantee the company's drug development and production.

BeiGene bought the rights to an ADC drug at the preclinical stage from Duality Biologics in July last year and the facility will also help support the drug’s clinical trials and commercialization. The firm will seek more industrial tie-ups in the future to expand market share, it said.

So far, BeiGene has developed three cancer drugs, including Zanubrutinib. It also has 14 co-developed drugs on the market. The firm’s net losses more than halved last year from the year before to USD881.7 million while revenue surged 74 percent to USD2.5 billion, according to its latest annual report.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor