‘Jelly formulations to drive global push…results targeted for 1H 2027’

Thailand, Vietnam and China first targets…Will focus on local pharma firms and healthcare distributors

Added taste and ease of intake into the company’s soft capsule technology…targets kids’ and inner-beauty demand

Support from product planning to regulatory approval and shipping…will use existing production capacity

RP Bio has set out to directly export jelly formulations built on its soft capsule manufacturing expertise. In addition to indirect exports through its Korean clients, the company plans to expand its business by developing and supplying products directly to overseas companies.

It aims to target rising demand in the kids’ and inner-beauty segments with jelly formulations that offer better taste and ease of consumption, while focusing on turning discussions with overseas buyers into actual contracts.

Dailypharm met with RP Bio Executive Director Mi-sun Noh to discuss the company’s rationale for pursuing direct exports, its formulation strengths, and its strategy for securing overseas clients.

Developing products directly with overseas clients…expanding collaboration beyond manufacturing

Mi-sun Noh, Executive Director, RP Bio

RP Bio’s direct-export strategy involves securing overseas companies as clients and providing direct development and supply.

The company aims to move beyond supporting the overseas sales of Korean clients by proposing its formulation technologies to local companies and working with them from the early stages of development.

Noh said, “With indirect exports through Korean clients, buyers are often drawn by the client’s brand. In direct dealings, however, the product itself takes center stage, allowing us to prove its competitiveness and better showcase our technological capabilities.”

The company believes direct collaboration also makes it easier to reflect local regulations, climate, intake methods, and taste preferences in product design. For this, the company is focusing on accelerating the market application of new technologies while protecting its proprietary formulation technology and process know-how.

Noh said, “We plan to collaborate directly with global buyers from the early stages of R&D and marketing to reflect local requirements in formulation design. By providing integrated development solutions, we aim to secure medium- to long-term business relationships.”

Its initial target markets are Thailand, Vietnam and China. The company has set local pharmaceutical and healthcare brands and major health and beauty (H&B) distribution channels as its key customer groups. At the recent Vitafoods Asia, RP Bio showcased jelly sticks, blister jellies and jelly formulations to gauge demand for product development.

Noh said, “We believe taste and texture have to be experienced firsthand, so we offered a lot of samples at the exhibition. Many visitors who tried the products then sat down at tables inside the booth and continued discussions with us.”

Since the exhibition, the company has been following up on requests for samples and product concept materials. It has prioritized prospective clients based on their size, business history and local activities, as well as their interest in the products and willingness to engage in discussions.

Jelly formulations built on soft capsule know-how…differentiated by taste and convenience.

While soft capsules provide the technological foundation for its overseas business, RP Bio has put jelly formulations at the forefront of its efforts to secure new clients. The company determined that it needed a formulation that could demonstrate its differentiation in addition to soft capsules, which are supplied by many manufacturers.

Noh said, “Many companies manufacture soft capsules, so we plan to focus more on the new jelly formulations we are introducing. We believe these formulations are suitable not only for kids’ products but also for inner-beauty, diet and skincare products sought by younger women.”

Products that drew particular attention at the exhibition included Easy Chew, a blister jelly formulation, Neo Chew, a jelly formulation, and jelly sticks.

RP Bio has focused on reducing the unpleasant taste and odor of functional ingredients and discomfort when chewing. Easy Chew reduces the characteristic fishy odor of oils and improves portability through individual packaging, while its jelly formulations are designed to reduce the sensation of sticking to the teeth. The company plans to offer customized products to overseas clients by also reflecting local consumers’ taste and texture preferences.

The company also plans to showcase its soft capsule technology for hot and humid environments and long-distance transportation. RP Bio said it has commercialized the pharmaceutical New Neosol and health functional food New Neogel as soft capsules, reducing shell hardening and deformation and enabling a 36-month shelf life. It plans to apply its technologies for adjusting formulations, shell composition, drying and packaging conditions to overseas product development as well.

“We saw interest in premium children’s products during meetings with buyers from Thailand and Vietnam, and many asked whether these formulations could also be applied to the inner-beauty segment. Through the exhibition, we were able to reaffirm the potential for our jelly formulations to gain traction overseas.”

Turning discussions into contracts…strengthening customized development and regulatory support.

RP Bio’s contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services encompass the entire process from product planning and formulation design, local regulatory and approval consulting, packaging and labeling support, to manufacturing, customs clearance and shipping. The company also plans to leverage the quality-control experience it has accumulated through the development and production of pharmaceutical products including MagB.

Noh said, “We plan to provide customized products by combining the concepts clients want with the functional ingredients and other ingredients we can incorporate. As buyers want quick feedback, we also work to respond rapidly.”

Because exchanging samples takes longer overseas, the company plans to improve the efficiency of initial proposals and development by utilizing formulations it has already secured. It is currently providing prototypes and formulation proposals in stages in line with each country’s import requirements.

Noh said, “Contracts and other procedures mean it will take longer than in Korea, but we are preparing to deliver results in the first half of next year,” Noh said.

The company aims to sign its first direct-export supply contract and generate sales within 2027 after reviewing local ingredient specifications, completing regulatory approval and stability testing. Rather than undertaking major new capacity expansion, it plans to respond by improving automation efficiency at existing plants and adjusting work shifts and the production mix.

The organization will be expanded in stages as contracts progress. Alongside overseas R&D and sales, the company sees regulatory affairs (RA) capabilities supporting country-specific approval requirements and export documentation as particularly important.

Noh said, “Each country requires different documents, and the approval process also takes time. What matters is determining with local partners how to navigate the approval process and shorten the timeline.”

Its medium- to long-term goal is to establish itself as a CDMO partner in the Asia-Pacific region offering patented formulations, quality control and customized development. The company also plans to reflect needs identified through discussions between its head of research, who attended the exhibition, and buyers’ R&D personnel in follow-up development.

She added, “The opportunity to showcase our technology reaffirmed our confidence in our capabilities, while also pushing us to take the next step. We will continue to advance our technology rather than remain satisfied with where we are today.”