SEOUL: Samsung Biologics announced on Monday an all-cash bid of 1.46 billion Swiss francs ($1.8 billion) to acquire Switzerland’s PolyPeptide Group, a specialist in peptide-based active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The deal marks the largest biopharmaceutical merger and acquisition in South Korean history, and signals Samsung’s aggressive entry into the red-hot market for obesity and diabetes treatments.
Under the terms of the public tender offer, PolyPeptide shareholders will receive 44.31 Swiss francs per share, a premium that the company’s board has unanimously endorsed.
The transaction, which is expected to close by the end of this year, will give Samsung control over a sprawling global network that spans Sweden, Belgium, France, the United States, and India, encompassing research, development, and commercial manufacturing capabilities.
The acquisition is a strategic pivot for Samsung Biologics, which has built its reputation primarily on antibody drugs and antibody-drug conjugates. By absorbing PolyPeptide, the South Korean contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) is diversifying into peptide therapeutics, one of the fasting-growing segments in the industry, fueled by surging demand for GLP-1 receptor agonists used in weight-loss and diabetes care.
“This acquisition broadens our portfolio to meet growing client demand across a wider range of therapeutic modalities,” a Samsung Biologics spokesperson said. “Peptide-based GLP-1 therapies are transforming medicine, and we intend to be at the forefront of that revolution.”
Peptide therapeutics are medicines composed of short chains of amino acids. Among the most prominent are GLP-1 drugs, which mimic a natural hormone to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar, a class that has produced blockbuster treatments like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic.
For PolyPeptide Group, headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, the deal caps a storied journey that began in 1996 when it was spun off from global pharmaceutical giant Ferring. With a track record of developing and producing more than 1,000 therapeutic peptides, the company has long been a quiet powerhouse in the contract manufacturing space.
“After a comprehensive review of strategic options, the Board is convinced that Samsung Biologics’ offer is compelling for our shareholders, delivering an attractive cash price and immediate, certain value today,” said Peter Wilden, chairman of PolyPeptide, in a statement.
While Samsung Biologics shares slipped 1.3% in early Monday trading, reflecting investor caution over the hefty price tag, analysts viewed the long-term logic as sound. The deal not only gives Samsung instant scale in a high-growth modality but also onshores critical European and U.S. manufacturing assets at a time when drugmakers are racing to secure supply chains.
“This is Samsung placing a very large bet on the future of metabolic medicine,” said one industry analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity. “They’re not just buying a factory—they’re buying two decades of peptide expertise and a client book that includes some of the biggest names in pharma.”
With the obesity drug market projected to exceed $100 billion by the end of the decade, Monday’s announcement positions Samsung Biologics not just as a follower, but as a formidable new contender in the peptide revolution.
