SK pharmteco Announces Strategic Collaboration with Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator for the Development and Manufacturing of Rare Disease Therapies

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., June 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SK pharmteco today announced a collaborative agreement with the Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL), a non-profit, biotech focused on completing development and enabling access to stalled rare disease treatments, to support the advancement of novel therapeutic programs.

The strategic partnership is built on SK pharmteco’s Rare Disease Advancement Initiative, a deep-rooted commitment to accelerate programs addressing high unmet need and delivering therapies to patients faster with thoughtful commercial flexibility designed to support impact and long-term scalability. Under the terms of the agreement, SK pharmteco will serve as a preferred technical partner, providing critical technical capabilities to accelerate OTXL's pipeline toward clinical and commercial milestones.

"We believe patients fighting rare diseases deserve the world's most reliable and sophisticated manufacturing solutions," said Joerg Ahlgrimm, Chief Executive Officer of SK pharmteco. "Rare disease programs often operate under compressed timelines and unique resource constraints, making dependable technical execution and adaptable partnerships critical. By combining our specialized manufacturing capabilities and deep technical expertise with OTXL’s programs, we are helping accelerate the development and delivery of critical therapies while reinforcing our position as a leading CDMO for rare diseases.”

As part of this arrangement, SK pharmteco will provide OTXL with prioritized access and preferential rates for up to two therapeutic programs per year. The collaborative framework encompasses a comprehensive suite of advanced manufacturing services, including:

• Process Development: Optimizing and scaling robust protocols tailored to complex modalities.
• Analytical Development: Designing precise assay methods to ensure safety and support molecular characterization.
• GMP Manufacturing & Quality Control Release: Ensuring the highest standards of regulatory compliance and product quality for clinical applications.
  
  

"One of the most consistent barriers to advancing rare disease programs is manufacturing risk at the development stage, where uncertainty about access, cost, and continuity can derail a program before it ever reaches a patient. Building a network of partners who can de-risk that stage, and scale to commercialize, is central to creating viable pathways for these programs that the traditional model can't support," said Craig Martin, Founder and CEO of OTXL. "SK pharmteco brings serious, global technical depth to our network, and their commitment to structuring access around the realities of rare disease development makes them a valued addition to the ecosystem we're building."

About SK pharmteco
SK pharmteco is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with production sites, research & development facilities, and analytical laboratories across the U.S., Europe, and South Korea. The company partners with biopharmaceutical companies of all sizes to manufacture Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and intermediates, gene therapy technologies, registered starting materials, and analytical services for the biopharmaceutical industry worldwide. SK pharmteco is a subsidiary of SK Inc. (KRX: 034730) (SK), the strategic investment company for SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate.

About the Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator
The Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL) is a non-profit biotech focused on obtaining, completing development, and enabling commercial access to promising clinical-stage therapies for ultra-rare conditions that have been shelved for financial or strategic reasons. OTXL utilizes alternative development and financing models to advance programs efficiently and sustainably, with proceeds reinvested to support additional rare disease therapies.

Contact:
Keith Bowermaster, APR, CCMP
Communications Consultant
keith.bowermaster@skpt.com