Samba "Surpass World No.1 'Lonza'"... Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong Visits Moderna Headquarters

Contract Negotiation for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Production
Establishment of Production Line at Songdo Plant Next Year

Integrating Semiconductor Innovation with Bio
Ambition to Capture 50% of Global CDMO Market

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] "We will surpass Swiss Lonza, a global contract manufacturing organization (CMO), and leap to become the world's number one."

Samsung Biologics has expressed its ambition to capture 50% of the global CMO market and become the global leader. Marking its 10th anniversary this year, Samsung Biologics announced that, based on the model of Taiwan's largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company TSMC, it aims to hold 50% of the global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) market. TSMC, a Taiwanese company leading the foundry industry with aggressive investments, is a formidable competitor to Samsung Electronics.

Yang Eun-young, Executive Director of Samsung Biologics Global Sales Center, met with reporters at CPhI, the world's largest biopharmaceutical conference held in Milan, Italy, on the 11th (local time), stating, "Just five years ago, we paid close attention to Lonza's moves, but now Lonza is paying attention to us," adding, "With the competitiveness of the world's largest single-factory production facility, we are continuously breaking our own records through ongoing innovation."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Samsung Biologics, which is entrusted with the contract manufacturing (CMO) of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for US-based Moderna, is exploring new opportunities. Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, who departed for a business trip to North America the day before, will visit Boston, where Moderna's headquarters is located, to negotiate COVID-19 vaccine supply. Additional cooperation on mRNA vaccines is expected to be concretized during this meeting. It is reported that Vice Chairman Lee played a significant role in the contract for the finished product (DP) production of Moderna vaccines and the early domestic supply process.

Samsung Biologics, which signed a DP contract for Moderna's mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in May and shipped the first batch domestically on the 28th of last month, is making company-wide efforts to secure a contract for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (DS), a core mRNA technology. The mRNA vaccine involves encapsulating the mRNA component with lipid nanoparticles (LNP), and the DS process related to this LNP technology is considered a key technology. Samsung Biologics plans to establish an mRNA active pharmaceutical ingredient production line at its Songdo plant in Incheon by the first half of next year.

Currently, the production of COVID-19 vaccine raw materials is handled by Swiss Lonza. If Samsung Biologics takes on the production of Moderna's active pharmaceutical ingredients as well, it will form a dual powerhouse with Lonza. Securing the DS contract and handling active pharmaceutical ingredient production would not only ensure quality certification but also present a golden opportunity to emerge as a global vaccine hub beyond Asia.

James Park, Head of Samsung Biologics Global Sales Center, said, "The mRNA platform technology is gaining attention due to COVID-19," and expressed confidence that "visible results related to mRNA technology will emerge by April next year." He added, "Competitors, surprised by our rapid speed, have reflected on whether innovation in the bio industry has been insufficient until now by observing Samsung Biologics' 10-year journey," and said, "The experience, technological know-how, and innovation DNA accumulated in other business areas such as semiconductors and mobile phones are being concentrated and realized in the bio industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.