Samsung Biologics said on the 1st that it has completed the acquisition of a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland.
With this acquisition, Samsung Biologics secured its first production base in the United States. The facility is a plant owned by British pharmaceutical company GSK plc, and the company has carried out follow-up procedures for about three months since announcing the contract signing in Dec. last year. The acquisition price is $280 million (about 400 billion won), and the acquiring entity is Samsung Biologics America, a U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Biologics.
The Rockville facility is a drug substance (DS) manufacturing plant with a total capacity of 60,000 liters (L), consisting of two manufacturing buildings. The facility has the infrastructure to produce antibody drugs at various scales from the clinical stage to commercial production.
With this acquisition, the company's total production capacity increased from 785,000 L to 845,000 L. The company said it has secured a customer response base in North America and built a dual production system linking Songdo, Korea, and Rockville, United States, enabling it to provide global customers with stable and flexible manufacturing options.
The company will retain and employ all of the approximately 500 local specialists. Through integration between the two production bases, it plans to not only ensure a stable supply of existing products but also ramp up efforts to win new orders. Considering mid- to long-term demand and utilization, it will also review additional investments such as expanding the Rockville facility's capacity and advancing its technology.
John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics, said, "This acquisition is a meaningful step toward expanding our global production footprint," adding, "Together with the specialized workforce at the Rockville facility, we will maintain operational continuity and continue a stable supply system."