Samsung Biologics has announced plans to acquire peptide CDMO PolyPeptide Group in an all-cash deal valued at approximately CHF 1.46 billion, expanding its manufacturing capabilities beyond antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

Under the terms of the proposed public tender offer, PolyPeptide shareholders will receive CHF 44.31 in cash for each share. The transaction is expected to complete towards the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.

The offer requires a minimum acceptance threshold of 66⅔% and has received the unanimous recommendation of PolyPeptide’s Board of Directors, acting through its independent and non-conflicted members.

The deal is also supported by PolyPeptide’s largest shareholder, which holds approximately 55.65% of outstanding shares, excluding treasury shares, and has undertaken to tender all of its shares into the offer.

If completed, the acquisition will give Samsung Biologics access to PolyPeptide’s specialist capabilities in peptide-based active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), adding a new modality to its existing CDMO offering.

The move comes as demand for peptide-based medicines continues to grow, particularly in obesity and diabetes, where GLP-1 therapies have become a major area of pharmaceutical development. Samsung Biologics also expects the acquisition to support its expansion into other therapeutic areas where peptide medicines are being developed, including oncology.

PolyPeptide has more than 70 years of API manufacturing experience and has produced more than 1,000 therapeutic peptides. The company operates sites in Sweden, Belgium, France, the USA and India, alongside its corporate office in Switzerland and an Innovation Center in Strasbourg, France.

Its capabilities span research and development, peptide development and commercial manufacturing, giving Samsung Biologics the opportunity to add peptide expertise and manufacturing capacity across multiple regions.

John Rim, chairman of the board of directors and CEO of Samsung Biologics, said: “This acquisition reinforces our long-term growth strategy by not only broadening our service portfolio with modality expansion into peptides including GLP-1, but by also boosting our geographic reach and proximity further within the US, Europe, and India.”

Rim added that Samsung Biologics valued PolyPeptide’s employees, capabilities and global footprint, with the companies expected to combine their scientific expertise and manufacturing operations following completion of the transaction.

The proposed acquisition is part of Samsung Biologics’ wider strategy to expand across different therapeutic modalities, geographic markets and manufacturing capacity. The company said PolyPeptide’s existing portfolio includes a number of late-stage peptide projects, which could provide further opportunities as peptide-based treatments progress towards commercialisation.

PolyPeptide chairman of the board of directors Peter Wilden said the offer followed a comprehensive review of strategic options and represented an opportunity to accelerate the company’s growth strategy.

“Samsung Biologics’ offer is compelling for our shareholders, delivering an attractive cash price and immediate, certain value today,” Wilden said. “At the same time, it represents a transformational opportunity to accelerate our strategic ambitions at a scale we could not reach alone – creating a stronger global partner for customers and a platform uniquely positioned to lead the next phase of growth in peptide-based therapeutics.”

The formal offer prospectus is expected to be published by the end of August 2026. The offer will remain open for a minimum of 20 trading days following a 10-trading-day cooling-off period under Swiss takeover law.

If the transaction is completed, Samsung Biologics intends to pursue a squeeze-out of remaining minority shareholders and delist PolyPeptide from the SIX Swiss Exchange. PolyPeptide would then become a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Biologics.

The acquisition would mark a significant expansion of Samsung Biologics’ manufacturing platform, bringing peptide development and commercial production alongside its established capabilities in biologics and ADCs as pharmaceutical companies continue to develop medicines across a broader range of therapeutic modalities.