AbdiBio Sets Biotechnological Drug Target

AbdiBio Sets Sights on Biotechnology Pharmaceuticals Abdi İbrahim continues its efforts with long-term planning and strategies to become an influential player globally. The company's biotechnology work is consolidated under the AbdiBio umbrella. Dr. Ali Özüer, Group President of AbdiBio, emphasizing the great importance of biotechnology for Abdi İbrahim and the future of the Turkish pharmaceutical sector, stated that within the company's 2025 strategy, they are working towards the goal of becoming Turkey's leading biotechnology pharmaceutical manufacturer. Özüer stated: "AbdiBio is the result of the innovative and visionary approach of Abdi İbrahim, which has been the leader of the Turkish pharmaceutical sector for 21 years without interruption. Biotechnology is an area that states have placed within their national priorities under changing global conditions. We also aim to develop our own biotechnology pharmaceuticals and produce them to international standards at AbdiBio, which we opened with a 100 million dollar investment in 2018. We want to create double added value by exporting to global markets, particularly to the United States and European Union countries. In short, we are pursuing our projects with the vision of earning foreign currency rather than spending it abroad."

AbdiBio: Turkey's largest biotechnology pharmaceutical production facility

Dr. Ali Özüer, noting that AbdiBio, which conducts production with state-of-the-art technology in Esenyurt, serves as Turkey's largest biotechnology pharmaceutical production facility and guides not only the company but also the Turkish pharmaceutical industry while making significant contributions, provided the following information about the facility: "AbdiBio is a biotechnology production facility spread across 13,500 square meters. The facility's current annual production capacity is 11 million vials, 11 million syringes, 16 million cartridges and 1 million lyophilized products." "We are working to take steps that support local pharmaceutical production, both to facilitate access to medicines for our people and to add value to the country's economy" Expressing that they aim to reduce Turkey's dependency on imports in the biotechnology field, increase locally-sourced treatment alternatives and, most importantly, facilitate people's access to medicines, Özüer stated: "Nearly all biotechnology products on the market are imported. When we realized our AbdiBio facility, we aimed to develop and produce these imported products in our country. Through this, we believe we have both facilitated patients' access to medicines and added value to the country's economy. We saw the results very clearly in our 2020 Socioeconomic Impact Report, which we shared with the public. In 2018, thanks to our first biosimilar medicine in the oncology field, the country achieved 80 million dollars in healthcare savings," he said. "We have started production of a medicine used in iron deficiency that we previously imported" Dr. Ali Özüer, also addressing AbdiBio's current agenda and medium and long-term objectives, continued: "In 2021, we opened the Process Development Laboratory where we will conduct foundational research on the biotechnology product we developed starting from the cell bank. For our mAb production area, which will become operational in August 2023, we are procuring and installing reactors and auxiliary units. At the same time, in our formulation and packaging area, which is already complete, as of April 2023 we have begun commercial production under aseptic conditions of an important medicine used in iron deficiency treatment that we previously imported. In addition, we will complete technology transfer and pilot production by the end of 2023 for a biotechnology medicine that we plan to export initially to 12 countries abroad and a chemical medicine that we will export to Europe." Ali Özüer also stated that with mAbdi #2, the company's first biosimilar molecule in the oncology field, they aim to rank among the top 5 biopharmaceutical products with the best performance in the international market. Özüer also noted that by bringing one of the first biosimilars of the original product to market, they aim to become one of the important global players in the market, which is expected to reach approximately 31 billion dollars by 2026. "Working in light of science, placing innovation at our focus, and aiming to make treatment methods we develop with high technology accessible to everyone" Stating that in biotechnology pharmaceuticals they plan to obtain licenses for all processes from cell bank to final product, conduct technology transfer, and grow through partnerships or acquisitions, Özüer continued: "We need to bring knowledge, skills and products together with qualified specialists and the right partners. With its strong financial structure and investor identity, Abdi İbrahim is perhaps the only pharmaceutical company in Turkey capable of implementing such a strategy. In this process, we set a precedent by acquiring a 28.5 percent stake in Swiss OM Pharma. We invested in Ocugen, an American biotechnology start-up that has strong connections at the University of Colorado and University of Illinois in the USA and develops medicines used in biological and gene therapy. We will add more to these investments. As AbdiBio, we draw our strength from our leadership, passion, courage and responsibility. We have adopted as our principle the motto: 'Healthy living is everyone's right; making it happen is our job!' In this direction, in light of science and placing innovation at our focus, we will continue to work with all our might with the goal of making treatment methods we develop with high technology accessible to everyone."