South Korea's first acquisition of an original big-pharma anticancer drug for global sale; Boryeong secures exclusive rights across 19 countries — sales to be reflected in earnings starting this month

The anticancer drug production facility at Boryeong's Yesan Campus. [Boryeong]
The anticancer drug production facility at Boryeong's Yesan Campus. [Boryeong]

Boryeong has completed its acquisition of an original anticancer drug asset from global pharmaceutical giant Sanofi and begun operating its own global supply and sales network. It marks the first time a South Korean pharmaceutical company has acquired the full global business of an original anticancer drug from a multinational and taken it directly to market.

Boryeong announced Tuesday that it has closed the global business acquisition agreement for the cytotoxic anticancer drug Taxotere (docetaxel) signed with Sanofi last year and officially launched global sales. Starting this month, all Taxotere-related global sales will be recognized directly in Boryeong's earnings.

With the deal now closed, Boryeong has secured exclusive rights covering all aspects of the Taxotere business — including marketing, distribution, regulatory approvals, production and trademarks — across 19 countries and regions worldwide, including South Korea, China, Germany, Spain, Latin America and the Middle East.

The final deal size was set at a maximum of approximately 170 million euros ($198 million, or about 279.6 billion won), reflecting precise adjustments to the transaction price based on country-by-country inventory levels in line with terms agreed at signing last year. The figure represents a reduction of roughly 5 million euros from the originally announced ceiling of 175 million euros.

Taxotere is an original cytotoxic anticancer drug that received European approval in 1995 and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval the following year. It is widely used as a standard-of-care therapy across seven major cancer types — including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, gastric cancer and head and neck cancer — covering perioperative adjuvant treatment through first-line therapy for metastatic and advanced disease. The drug has more recently been classified as an essential agent in combination regimens with immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies, and is listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

Boryeong has steadily built its oncology portfolio through earlier deals, acquiring domestic business rights to Gemzar in 2020 and Alimta in 2022. The recognition of Taxotere's global sales marks the company's move beyond the domestic market into full-scale global operations in the cytotoxic anticancer drug segment.

Kim Sung-jin, Boryeong's chief strategy officer, said the Taxotere acquisition represents more than simply securing an established anticancer drug asset. "This deal transforms Boryeong into an entity that directly oversees the regulatory, quality, production and distribution responsibilities for an essential global anticancer drug, grounded in clear opportunities on both the demand and supply sides," he said. "Having entered the global essential anticancer drug supply chain through this acquisition, we will continue to expand our presence in the global market."


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