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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Samsung Biologics’ announcement last year of its “largest contract since foundation” has been confirmed to involve its affiliate Samsung Bioepis, raising questions within the industry about potentially overstated promotional claims.
On October 22 last year, Samsung Biologics disclosed a ₩1.7 trillion contract manufacturing (CMO) agreement, describing the client only as “a pharmaceutical company based in Asia.” The company added that it planned to strengthen collaboration by opening a sales office in Tokyo. The limited disclosure prompted market speculation that major Japanese companies—such as Takeda or Daiichi Sankyo—were behind the order.
In response, a Samsung Biologics representative stated that the company does not disclose client names, including affiliates, without prior consent to protect customer confidentiality.
Internal transactions between Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis have grown sharply over the past three years:
₩148.1 billion in 2022
₩264.5 billion in 2023 (up 78.6% YoY)
₩487.6 billion in 2024 (up 84.3% YoY)
Industry observers note that the rapid expansion of intra-group CMO activity highlights the growing operational interdependence between Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
