It’ s complicated …
CDMOs are addressing the growth in complex chemistries and molecules with targeted investments. We report from CPHI in Milan
CPHI, which took place in Milan on 6-8 October, is still by far the largest exhibition in the pharmaceutical industry’ s calendar. With virtually all of the major service providers present as exhibitors and many timing major announcements, it is also the ideal time to take the industry’ s temperature. Among the key trends cited by CDMOs this year were:
• Booming demand for peptides, antibody-drug conjugates( ADCs) and oligonucleotides
• The growing complexity of APIs, requiring complex chemistries
• Continued strength in demand for small molecules, despite most of the attention being focused elsewhere
• Increasing demand for integrated, end-to-end services
• Pressure to manufacture in the US and the related need to deal with the regionalisation of supply chains, including being‘ China-free’
Progress in peptides
Demand is still booming for glucagonlike peptide( GLP)-1s, with more coming through the pipeline, for indications beyond obesity and diabetes. Grand View Research valued the global peptide therapeutics market at $ 140.9 billion in 2025, with a compound average growth rate( CAGR) of 8.7 % between 2026 and 2033, when it is projected to be $ 294.6 billion.
Securing capacity to meet growing demand was the reason behind two acquisitions of major peptide API specialists in the run-up to CPHI, with South Korea’ s Samsung Biologics agreeing to buy PolyPeptide, which has since taken a step closer to completion, and CordenPharma buying
Breaking ground at CordenPharma’ s facility expansion in South Carolina
AmbioPharm. Many other firms are investing heavily to the same end.
Indeed, CordenPharma broke ground on an expansion at its facility in North Augusta, South Carolina, in September. This investment of over $ 200 million will add“ significant upstream peptide synthesis capacity” to complement large-scale downstream operations in Colorado, the company stated. It also offers flexible solid- and liquid-phase synthesis( SPPS, LPPS) and hybrid production platforms.
“ The challenge in peptides, unlike small molecules, is that the capacity is just not there. Capex is needed because we have never had demand for tonnes of peptide API before,” said Dr Stephen Houldsworth, SVP and global commercial head of the Innovative Synthesis business unit at CordenPharma.
All of the GLP-1s, he noted, are at least 35 amino acids long and complex, requiring both SPPS and classic chemistry. CordenPharma has invested to be able to offer the most relevant capabilities and end-to-end services, including drug product, which is still unusual among CDMOs. The company continues to invest in complex chemistries and is planning to increase capacity at its small- and large-scale sites in Liestal, Switzerland, and Bergamo, Italy, respectively.
First module opens
Just before CPHI, India’ s Neuland Laboratories began operations at the first of four modules at its commercialscale peptide manufacturing site in Hyderabad. Module 1 provides 7,000L of total peptide reactor capacity, comprising 750L of SPPS and 6,250L of LPPS capacity, housed in separate suites to support parallel operation. Downstream infrastructure includes three DAC chromatography columns, comprising two 60 cm systems and one 45 cm system, with 100L and 200L lyophilisers.
Foundational infrastructure for Module 2 is already in place, and Neuland expects to begin work once customer requirements, configuration and capacity are finalised, said CEO and managing director Saharsh
14 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981