CordenPharma, which is a global contract development and manufacturing organization – CDMO specialising in intricate drug modalities, has signed a deal to purchase the peptide API CDMO AmbioPharm.
This acquisition expands global API manufacturing along with the peptide manufacturing footprint of CordenPharma in the U.S. and adds Shanghai-based production capacity to maintain a global peptide supply.
AmbioPharm is based in North Augusta, South Carolina, with peptide manufacturing plants throughout South Carolina as well as Shanghai, China. The deal expands peptide API development and manufacturing capabilities of CordenPharma for more complex peptide applications at both clinical along with commercial stages. The integrated platform is bound to offer customers an expanded range of peptide manufacturing capabilities from upstream to downstream, such as flexible Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis – SPPS, Liquid-Phase Peptide Synthesis – LPPS hybrid synthesis strategies, as well as proprietary Tag-Assisted Peptide Synthesis – technology by CordenPharma. The acquisition is anticipated to enhance the capacity to support advanced, long-chain and elevated-purity peptide APIs.
AmbioPharm has about 400 employees at its two facilities. When the deal closes, CordenPharma’s worldwide network in addition to its ability of global API manufacturing will extend beyond its 11 sites currently in Europe along with North America, enhancing peptide production capacity and geographical versatility for customers.
The North Augusta facility, which is CordenPharma’s second U.S. peptide manufacturing plant, will add significant purity and standard lyophilization capacity for peptide APIs. The location will complement operations at CordenPharma Colorado, allowing for fully US-based peptide API supply chains to feed large-scale commercial peptide projects, says the company.
Apparently, the Shanghai site has extensive upstream peptide manufacturing capabilities, including SPPS and LPPS as well as hybrid synthesis, along with select downstream capabilities, to maintain a worldwide clinical and commercial peptide supply.
The purchase expands peptide CDMO platform from CordenPharma to three continents and enhances its comprehensive peptide development and manufacturing services, the company said. Astorg acquired the company in 2022 and has been channelling capital into peptide manufacturing infrastructure as well as platform expansion ever since.
Financial terms of the deal were not revealed. The transaction is subject to standard concluding conditions. As part of the deal, AmbioPharm shareholders are anticipated to reinvest into the merged business.
Quotes from the Leadership
Dr. Michael Quirmbach, President & CEO, CordenPharma Group opines that “This acquisition significantly bolsters CordenPharma’s Peptides Platform with complementary capabilities and advances our strategic objective to serve as a leading peptide manufacturing partner. As peptide programs become more complex and advanced, customers value CDMO partners who can offer both upstream scientific route selection and process robustness with downstream manufacturing scale and built-in geographic flexibility. AmbioPharm’s capabilities perfectly complement our existing peptide expertise, helping us to broaden the ways we support customers from development to commercialization.”
Brian Gregg, CEO, AmbioPharm says “Becoming part of CordenPharma marks an exciting new chapter for AmbioPharm. Together, we will be able to offer customers broader technical capabilities, increased global capacity, and a highly reliable Peptides Platform to support the development and commercialization of peptide-based medicines, delivered through a fully-integrated global facility network. Importantly, we remain focused on the patients who rely on these medicines.”
As per Antoine Thomas, Director, Astorg, “This acquisition marks an important step in CordenPharma’s growth journey, enhancing the company’s strategic positioning and supporting significant long-term growth opportunities in peptides.”
Remarks Paul Perreault, Chairman of the Board, CordenPharma, “This is an exciting time for the promise of peptides to help patients across the globe, and now at CordenPharma we strengthen our capabilities to deliver this promise for our partners.”
Says Ling Yang, Partner And Head Of Healthcare, Carlyle Asia, “Since our investment in AmbioPharm, we have worked closely with the company as a strategic shareholder to enhance its operations and expand its global footprint. We are incredibly proud of what AmbioPharm has achieved and are very excited about its merger with CordenPharma, given the breadth of its peptides platform and expertise. We remain confident in the strong growth potential of the global peptide CDMO market and look forward to continuing to support the combined business as it seeks to achieve the next level of success.”