Samsung Biologics said on the 22nd that it signed a deal with global drugmaker GSK plc to acquire the biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility of Human Genome Sciences (HGS) located in Rockville, Maryland.
With this, Samsung Biologics secured its first manufacturing base in the United States.
The acquirer is Samsung Biologics America, the U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Biologics. The purchase price is $280 million (about 414.7 billion won). The asset acquisition process is slated to be completed within the first quarter of next year.
The Rockville plant is a drug substance (DS) manufacturing site with a total capacity of 60,000 liters located in the heart of Maryland's bio cluster, and consists of two production buildings.
The facility has the infrastructure to support antibody drug manufacturing at various scales from the clinical stage to commercial production.
Samsung Biologics will assume the contracts for existing products and has secured a stable volume of large-scale contract manufacturing (CMO) orders.
The company said it secured operational stability by retaining and employing all 500-plus local staff with plant operation experience and expertise. The company added, "Considering mid- to long-term demand and utilization, we plan to review additional investments, including capacity expansion."
Samsung Biologics plans to establish a dual manufacturing system connecting Songdo, Korea, and Rockville, United States, through this acquisition and provide flexible, reliable production options to global clients. By doing so, it will expand its collaboration base with North American clients and strengthen its ability to respond to changes in supply conditions by region, further enhancing its contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) competitiveness.
John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics, said, "This acquisition is a strategic decision by the company to advance the global healthcare industry and strengthen manufacturing capabilities in the United States."
Rim said, "Based on cooperation with federal, state and local governments, we will strengthen customer support and the stability of biopharmaceutical supplies, and, by collaborating with experienced local talent, we will continuously boost the competitiveness of the Rockville facility."
Regis Simard, GSK's president of global supply chain, said, "With long-term partner Samsung Biologics acquiring the Rockville manufacturing facility, we can reliably maintain production of key medicines in the United States." He added, "This will also allow GSK to further strengthen the stability and responsiveness of our global supply chain operations."