Samsung Biologics secures $1.3B manufacturing contract with US pharma firm

Samsung Biologics, a contract development and manufacturing organization headquartered in Incheon, South Korea, has signed a biologics manufacturing agreement with an undisclosed U.S.-based pharmaceutical company. The deal, disclosed in a regulatory filing, is valued at approximately 1.8 trillion Korean won (US$1.3 billion) and runs through Dec. 31, 2029.

The agreement, described as a biologics CMO contract, represents nearly 40% of Samsung Biologics’ reported 2024 sales, according to the filing. Specific financial terms and the identity of the U.S.-based pharma customer were not disclosed due to confidentiality agreements, the company said.

The deal is the second-largest contract Samsung Biologics has secured since its founding in 2011, according to local reporting cited by Korea JoongAng Daily. Earlier this year, the company signed a contract with another unnamed U.S. drugmaker worth about 737 billion won (US$531 million) running through 2031, and in October 2024 it finalized a $1.2 billion agreement with an Asia-based pharmaceutical company through 2037.

Despite global uncertainty around trade policies, Samsung Biologics continues to build a portfolio of multibillion-dollar production contracts with U.S. partners. The company recently launched Samsung Organoids, an organoid-based drug screening platform designed to support early-stage drug discovery, improve lead selection, and identify potential clinical challenges earlier in the pipeline.

In the second quarter of 2025, Samsung Biologics reported revenue of 1.29 trillion won (US$936 million), an 11% increase from the prior year, driven by the launch of its fifth manufacturing plant in South Korea and growth in its antibody-drug conjugate business, the company said.