[Bio USA] Samsung Biologics expands strategic focus to top 40 global pharma

BOSTON — Samsung Biologics announced plans Wednesday to further broaden its customer base, aiming to serve the world's top 40 pharmaceutical companies up from the current top 20.
"Today, we serve more than 130 clients, including 17 of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies, with a batch success rate exceeding 99 percent and 359 regulatory approvals from global health authorities," said Kevin Sharp, executive vice president and head of sales and operations at Samsung Biologics, during a press conference held on the sidelines of Bio USA.
Samsung Biologics has been establishing local offices in strategic regions and maintaining seamless collaboration with its global headquarters in Songdo.
'We already operate sales offices in New Jersey and Boston through our US subsidiary, and opened a new office in Tokyo earlier this year to better contact the top 40 pharma companies."
Samsung Biologics has also built core competencies in advanced and emerging modalities — including messenger mRNA, antibody drug conjugates and competetive genetic therapies. Looking ahead, the company plans to begin manufacturing ADC drug products and pre-filled syringes by 2027.
Further expanding its value chain integration, Samsung Biologics is now moving upstream into contract research services. This includes the launch of its first organoid-based drug screening platform, Samsung Organoids, a move that marks its formal entry into contract research.
At a related press briefing on Tuesday, Lee Sang-myung, vice president and head of Business Strategy at Samsung Biologics, emphasized the promise of organoid technology in revolutionizing drug development.
'Organoids are rapidly transforming the drug development landscape,' he said. 'With up to 85 percent physiological similarity to human patients, they provide a more accurate, scalable and cost-effective alternative to traditional animal testing.'
According to market intelligence firm Research and Markets and others, the global patient-derived organoid market is valued at $1 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $3.3 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 22 percent. Such rapid growth is being driven in part by the FDA's push to reduce reliance on animal testing and to promote ethically sound alternatives.
Samsung Biologics' organoid strategy is further bolstered by an exclusive partnership with Samsung Medical Center, recently ranked No. 3 globally in cancer care by Newsweek in 2025. The collaboration merges SMC's vast clinical dataset drawn from over 4.5 million patients, with Samsung Biologics' capabilities in manufacturing and data analytics, enabling the generation of highly precise drug efficacy data.
'The launch of Samsung Organoids marks a strategic inflection point for us,' Lee noted. 'Having evolved from a pure CMO in 2011 to a CDO in 2018, we are now transitioning into a fully integrated CRDMO — adding research and discovery to our core manufacturing strengths.'

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