Samsung Biologics Launches $1.8B Tender Offer for PolyPeptide, Doubling Down on Peptide Therapeutics

The all-cash public tender offer for the Swiss peptide CDMO is expected to close by end-2026, adding six cGMP plants across Belgium, France, India, Sweden and the US — a major step in Samsung's multi-modality strategy.

Samsung Biologics has announced an all-cash public tender offer of approximately USD 1.8B for PolyPeptide Group AG, the Switzerland-headquartered peptide CDMO, with completion expected toward the end of 2026. It is the company's second major acquisition of the year, following the GSK Rockville plant purchase completed in March.

PolyPeptide operates six cGMP manufacturing facilities in Belgium, France, India, Sweden and the US. Through the deal, Samsung Biologics' network will extend across the US, Europe and India, with capabilities broadening from antibodies and ADCs into peptide therapeutics — one of the fastest-growing biopharma segments, highly relevant to oncology and emerging indications.

The transaction is a key step in Samsung Biologics' multi-modality strategy. The company has previously said it is studying peptides, AAV and other next-generation modalities. Combined with its dedicated ADC facility, the Samsung Organoid CRO offering and Life Science Fund ecosystem investments, Samsung Biologics is evolving from "the world's largest mAb CDMO" into a multi-modality platform bio-service provider.

For the industry, the deal underscores the peptide boom: the commercial explosion of GLP-1 weight-loss and metabolic drugs has made upstream peptide CDMO capacity a scarce resource. Notably, China's Asymchem is also expanding peptide solid-phase synthesis capacity from 45,000 L to 69,000 L — Korean and Chinese CDMO giants are landing on the peptide board almost simultaneously.