Yesterday, CordenPharma has announced a major investment of approximately €900 million over the next three years to significantly expand its peptide platform capabilities. This strategic move, the largest in the company’s history, aims to bolster its operations in both the United States and Europe to meet the rising demand for peptide-based therapeutics.
The expansion in the U.S. will focus on the CordenPharma Colorado site. This project includes constructing new large-scale manufacturing facilities and upgrading existing infrastructure. This expansion is driven by the increasing demand for Glucagon-like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist medications, essential for treating diabetes and obesity. The Colorado site’s growth is supported by multiple long-term contracts valued at approximately €3 billion, with potential for further increases.
In Europe, CordenPharma plans to build a state-of-the-art greenfield facility designed for small to large-scale peptide development and manufacturing. This new site will be integrated into CordenPharma’s global network, providing comprehensive support from early clinical stages to late-stage commercial production.
These expansion efforts are part of CordenPharma’s strategy to achieve €1 billion in sales from its Peptide Platform by 2028, reinforcing its leadership in providing integrated services from Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) to drug products for both injectable and oral peptides.
Dr. Michael Quirmbach, President and CEO of CordenPharma, emphasized the significance of this investment: “These investments will significantly enhance our ability to support innovators and benefit patients. We are honored by the trust our customers have placed in us for large multiyear contracts, and our team is proud to bring decades of peptide manufacturing experience to these transformative new medicines.”
Dr. Signe Michel, Managing Director at Astorg, expressed confidence in CordenPharma’s future: “We are proud of the achievements of Michael and the CordenPharma team in their pursuit of operational excellence, customer service, and ambitious growth. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and to further strengthen the company’s peptide offering across the full drug lifecycle and value chain.”
Judith Charpentier, Co-Head Flagship Fund and Head of Healthcare at Astorg, highlighted the strategic advantage: “CordenPharma has a unique opportunity to solidify its leadership in peptides with unmatched capacity and performance in large-scale manufacturing. With the company’s proven track record and our investor experience in pharmaceutical services, we are confident that our commitment will help seize this opportunity.”
Since its acquisition by Astorg in 2022, CordenPharma has demonstrated a robust growth strategy aimed at becoming the leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for complex modalities such as peptides. The new facilities will integrate seamlessly with its network of cGMP manufacturing sites, offering the technical and regulatory support necessary to ensure a reliable supply chain from APIs to drug products.
This investment represents a transformative milestone for CordenPharma, setting a new standard in the peptide manufacturing industry and paving the way for significant advancements in pharmaceutical therapies.