South Korean contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Samsung Biologics has been on a steep upward growth trajectory since receiving its first licence to produce biologic drug substances in 2015.
That FDA approval was followed in 2016 by a Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance from the EMA for biologics drug substance and drug product, and the company now has over 450 approvals from regulators around the world
The expansion of Samsung’s manufacturing licences is mirrored in the growth of its performance, which saw it achieve revenues of $3.1bn (Won4,557bn) in 2025, a 30% increase from the previous year. Until now, that work has been centred on the Songdo Bio Cluster in the South Korean city of Incheon, where Samsung will have three campuses, having recently acquired land for Bio Campus III, which will be set aside for future modalities including work on cell and gene therapies and vaccines. The cluster will also be the location for Samsung’s forthcoming open innovation centre, which is due to open in 2027 and is being built in partnership with Lilly Gateway Labs.
But a key part of the company’s plans for continued growth involves adding capacity outside its home country. On 20 July 2026, Samsung unveiled its plans for the $1.8bn (SFr1.46bn) acquisition of PolyPeptide Group, which specialises in peptide-based active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and produces one third of the commercially approved peptides in the world. In addition to expanding Samsung’s capabilities beyond antibodies and ADCs and into peptide therapeutics, including GLP-1s, its deal with the Swiss CDMO also comes with a network of sites across Sweden, Belgium, France, the US, and India, together with a corporate office in Switzerland and an innovation centre in Strasbourg, France.