Swiss-headquartered Siegfried continues to solidify its position as a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in the small-molecule drug substance space, thanks to the recent acquisition of three sites in the U.S. and Australia.

During a Friday earnings call, Siegfried executives touted the acquisition — finalized in May 2026 — claiming that together with the newly acquired sites, the company now operates the largest small-molecule drug substance CDMO network globally including 10 sites across Asia, Europe, and the U.S.

“We are building a stronger platform for future organic growth. One of the most visible examples is how the recent acquisition further strengthens our global network,” Siegfried CEO Marcel Imwinkelried told analysts. “This combination of scale, technology offering, and geographical reach is unique and puts us in a very strong competitive position.”

The integration of a large-scale commercial manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Delaware, an early phase development and manufacturing site in Athens, Georgia, and the extraction capabilities of Extractas Bioscience in Westbury, Australia is “well underway” with “strong customer interest” in the new U.S. capacity, according to Siegfried.

This year, the three newly acquired sites are expected to contribute around $100 million in net sales. Imwinkelried told analysts in Friday’s conference call that customer interest in Siegfried’s expanded U.S. presence is strong with the “phone lines constantly ringing” since the CDMO announced the acquisition in January 2026, including “top notch” large- and mid-sized pharmaceutical companies. 

“Combined with the early-phase development capabilities in Athens and the extraction expertise of Extractas Bioscience, the acquisition further strengthens Siegfried’s ability to support customers from early phase development to commercial manufacturing,” the company said in its Friday press release announcing financial results for the first half of 2026.

Imwinkelried called out the fact that the small-molecule drug substance market is rapidly changing, with Siegfried customers asking for up to 40 synthesis steps for the “newest generation” of small molecules.

“These new molecules are becoming even more complex,” he said, adding that the “good news” for Siegfried is that it is freeing up U.S. capacity to better serve the market.     

Unlocking acquisition value via capacity optimization

In Pennsville, New Jersey, Siegfried has an existing drug substance manufacturing site for the U.S. market. The CDMO plans to expand its “fast-growing exclusive synthesis business” in the U.S. by optimizing controlled substance capacity at the newly acquired Wilmington facility and its nearby Pennsville site.

By 2028, Siegfried intends to free up 80 cubic meters of “high-quality capacity” at the commercial-scale manufacturing site in Wilmington by optimizing its capacity there and in Pennsville — realizing synergies between the two sites.

“The real value of this acquisition lies in unlocking the capacity for new and high-volume business,” Imwinkelried said, adding that the CDMO is on track with the product transfers for freeing up capacity for “new exclusive business” progressing as planned. “Wilmington, the first transfer of the first product [within the Wilmington site], will be complete this year.”  

With the gradual start of development activities and product transfers to Pennsville, Siegfried expects the first revenues from this initiative to materialize in 2027 and the ramp-up of production in 2028 for this new business.

In June, Siegfried opened a large-scale active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility in Minden, Germany. The site adds 100 cubic meters of reactor capacity for complex, high-containment drug substance production to bolster the company’s small molecule services. Imwinkelried on Friday said Minden product transfers are “progressing as planned.”

Competition in outsourced HPAPI manufacturing

In a report last month, GlobalData noted that Siegfried’s recent acquisition included two U.S. high-potency API (HPAPI) sites in Delaware and Georgia, adding 13 controlled drugs to the CDMO’s contract manufacturing portfolio and expanding its presence in the U.S. “where the majority of outsourced HPAPI manufacturing takes place.”

The firm also called out the fact that Siegfried now leads rival Switzerland-headquartered CDMO Lonza in the outsourced HPAPI manufacturing market. “Lonza was previously ahead but has since been overtaken by Siegfried following its acquisition of Noramco,” according to GlobalData.

However, the firm also pointed to Lonza’s “new strategies” that may enable it to challenge Siegfried’s lead in the HPAPI outsourcing space.

“On June 30, 2026, the CDMO announced plans to expand its HPAPI capacity at its Visp site in Switzerland, focusing on antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) payload-linker capabilities to support the growing ADC market,” GlobalData said. “With Lonza leading in contract manufacturing of biologic and cytotoxic HPAPIs, the company seems well placed as the biopharma industry looks to those two growth areas.”