Zuellig Pharma Opens Advanced Clinical Trial Support Innovation Center in South Korea
Key Insights
Zuellig Pharma (search) has opened a state-of-the-art 3,800-square-meter Clinical Trial Support Innovation Center (search) in Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea, featuring fully automated systems and comprehensive temperature-zone support.
The facility has already supported over 3,000 cumulative studies with more than 100 clients, managing approximately 13,000 outbound shipments annually including biologics (search), medical devices (search), and cellular and gene therapies (search).
South Korea ranks among the world's top 10 clinical trials markets and holds the third-largest number of R&D pipelines globally, positioning the new center to meet rising demand for clinical trial logistics services.
Zuellig Pharma (search), a leading healthcare solutions company in Asia, announced the grand opening of its new Clinical Trial Support (CTS) Innovation Center in South Korea on December 1, 2025. The facility represents a significant investment in clinical trial infrastructure, designed to serve both domestic and global clinical research needs through advanced automation and digitalization.
Advanced Facility Capabilities
Strategically located near the Gyeongbu Expressway in Gyeonggi-do province, the 3,800-square-meter facility is positioned to become South Korea's most advanced automated hub for clinical logistics and sourcing. The center features a fully automated order fulfillment system that enhances the speed, accuracy, and reliability of clinical supply delivery, while its flexible and scalable architecture ensures uninterrupted operations.
"As part of an integrated healthcare solutions company, this milestone marks a significant step forward for Zuellig Pharma (search) in remaining agile and responsive to the evolving clinical trial landscape," said John Graham, CEO of Zuellig Pharma. "It also reflects Zuellig Pharma's continued commitment to advancing healthcare through innovation and sustainable infrastructure, creating greater access to treatments and delivering meaningful outcomes for partners and communities we serve."
The facility provides comprehensive temperature-zone support, enabling management of thousands of unique clinical trial SKUs under strict ambient, cold, frozen, deep frozen, cryogenic and return storage conditions. This ensures temperature-sensitive products are handled with precision throughout the entire supply chain.
Specialized Infrastructure and Compliance
The center's specialized repackaging infrastructure accommodates controlled environments tailored to ambient, cold, frozen, and amber light repackaging specifications. These environments meet stringent clinical and regulatory standards, ensuring product integrity is maintained throughout the clinical trial lifecycle. An integrated end-to-end tracking and monitoring system provides full chain-of-custody, complete traceability, and adherence to Good Practice (GxP) requirements.
Robust cybersecurity measures safeguard sensitive clinical trial data, while the facility's design emphasizes operational efficiency, scalability, and reliability across diverse therapeutic areas.
Market Position and Performance
Giuseppe Leo, SVP and Clinical Trial Support Business Unit Lead at Zuellig Pharma (search), highlighted South Korea's strategic importance in the global clinical trials landscape. "As of 2025, South Korea ranks among the world's top 10 clinical trials markets and holds the third-largest number of R&D pipelines globally," Leo said. "Our new facility has been built to meet this rising demand, redefining how investigational products are stored, managed, and distributed."
Over the past year, the center has demonstrated significant operational capacity, supporting over 3,000 cumulative studies in collaboration with more than 100 clients. The facility manages an annual volume of approximately 13,000 outbound shipments, including chemical compounds, biologics (search), medical devices (search), and cellular and gene therapies (search).
Industry Partnerships
The center's extensive track record includes partnerships with 14 of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies and 8 of the top 10 global Contract Research Organizations (CROs), underscoring its position as a trusted partner in global clinical trial research. This network reflects Zuellig Pharma (search)'s broader reach across 18 markets with over 12,000 employees, serving more than 200,000 medical facilities and working with over 450 clients worldwide.