What have been the key moves—capacity additions and acquisitions by CDMOs thus far in 2026 and what may be on the horizon?

By Patricia Van Arnum, Editorial Director, DCAT, [email protected]

CDMOs: Key moves thus far in 2026
In looking at the news developments from the CDMO market in 2026, certain themes emerge. The blockbuster success of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for treating obesity and Type 1 diabetes and related drugs has been a major impetus in driving peptide-based drug development overall, and in 2026, peptides were again a focal point of several moves by CDMOs. Also on the drug-substance side, there have been select investments in small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing, and large- and mid-scale biomanufacturing projects continued in 2026. On the drug-product side, several CDMOs of sterile manufacturing and aseptic fill–finish services advanced large capital expansions. And overall, US-based investments were a target of several CDMOs.

Peptides making the moves
One of the largest acquisitions announced in 2026 was in peptides with the pending $1.8-billion acquisition of PolyPeptide Group, a CDMO focused on peptide-based APIs, by Samsung Biologics, a CDMO of biologics, advanced therapies, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), other complex conjugates, and drug products. With the acquisition, Samsung Biologics will expand its capabilities beyond antibodies and ADCs to include peptide therapeutics. The transaction is expected to be completed toward the end of 2026.

PolyPeptide has six cGMP development and manufacturing facilities across Europe (Braine-l’Alleud, Belgium; Strasbourg, France; Malmö, Sweden), the US (Torrance and San Diego, California), and India (Ambernath). In 2025, the company posted revenues of EUR 389.3 million ($442.8 million).

These facilities will join Samsung Biologics’ biomanufacturing network, which includes two campuses with five facilities in South Korea, representing approximately 785,000 liters of capacity. Earlier this year (March 2026), Samsung Biologics acquired a former GSK 60,000-L biomanufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland, marking the company’s first US-based biomanufacturing facility. With this addition, Samsung Biologics’ total global biomanufacturing capacity increases to 845,000 liters. In addition, the company has secured land for Bio Campus III in South Korea, laying the groundwork for future capacity expansion to support next-generation therapies and emerging modalities.

CordenPharm, a CDMO of drug substances and drug products, added to its position in peptides with the acquisition of AmbioPharm, a CDMO specializing in peptide-based APIs. AmbioPharm has two sites, one in North Augusta, South Carolina, and one in Shanghai, China, and the acquisition adds differentiated peptide manufacturing capabilities to CordenPharma’s existing peptides platform and expertise. The CordenPharma Colorado site provides R&D and large-scale peptide manufacturing, and CordenPharma also has a peptide development facility in Frankfurt, Germany.  With the closing of the transaction, AmbioPharm’s facilities in North Augusta, South Carolina, will become CordenPharma South Carolina, and AmBioPharm’s facility in Shanghai will become CordenPharma Shanghai. The South Carolina facility expands CordenPharma’s downstream capabilities, including enhanced purification and expanded lyophilization, with additional investment in upstream capacity planned. With the Shanghai facility, CordenPharma adds upstream and downstream peptide manufacturing capabilities.

In a large capacity addition, Bachem, a CDMO of peptide and oligonucleotides, announced plans to build a new large-scale production facility in Sisslerfeld (Eiken, Switzerland) with an investment of more than CHF 500 million ($610 million) as part of a strategic customer collaboration following the signing of an agreement to supply large volumes of peptides. Start of commercial production at the new site is expected in 2030. Bachem operates a global network of manufacturing sites in Bubendorf (Switzerland), Sisslerfeld (Switzerland), Vionnaz (Switzerland), Vista and Torrance (California), and St. Helens (UK).  

Moves in small-molecule API manufacturing
This year (2026) has also seen several moves by CDMOs to increase small-molecule API development and manufacturing, including for US expansion.

In July (July 2026), Evonik announced a $100-million investment to strengthen API manufacturing capabilities at its Tippecanoe Labs site in Lafayette, Indiana, to modernize key equipment, including large reactors and other systems. Tippecanoe Labs, which Evonik acquired from Eli Lilly and Company in 2010, is Evonik’s second-largest site in North America with more than 650 employees. Evonik says it is balancing its global asset footprint across North America, Europe, and Asia, with a particular emphasis on North America for its drug-substance CDMO business.

In June (June 2026), Siegfried, a CDMO of drug substances and drug products, inaugurated a new large-scale production facility for API manufacturing in Minden, Germany. The facility adds 100 m³ of reactor capacity and includes high-containment capabilities. Also in 2026, Siegfried acquired three drug-substances sites of Noramco, Extractas Biosciences, and Purisys (a Noramco subsidiary) from affiliates of the private-equity firm, SK Capital Partner. The acquired businesses include three small-molecule drug-substances sites: (1) Noramco’s commercial-scale manufacturing site in Wilmington, Delaware; (2) Purisys’ clinical API development and manufacturing facility in Athens, Georgia; and (3) Extractas Bioscience, a manufacturer of purified products based in Westbury, Tasmania, Australia. SK Capital retains ownership of Halo Pharmaceuticals, a CDMO of drug products purchased by Noramco in 2023.

Cambrex is investing more than $130 million to expand its Charles City, Iowa, facility. The project will add a new plant with 140,000 liters of capacity, including large-scale (16,000-L) and mid-scale (4,000-L) reactors, as well as advanced Hastelloy agitated filter dryers. The expansion will also enhance an existing large-scale manufacturing suite. Manufacturing operations are expected to begin in the second half of 2028. Upon completion, the Charles City site will see a 20% increase in large-scale manufacturing capacity, reaching nearly one million liters, which is designed to support projects with complex chemistry, including controlled substances, highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs), and commercial-scale liquid-phase peptide manufacturing.

In Europe, Cambrex is investing $30 million to expand its R&D laboratory footprint and enhance production capabilities at its Milan, Italy, site. The project will add new analytical development, quality control, and process R&D capabilities, as well as upgrades to multiple existing production plants. The R&D expansion is expected to be completed in the second half of 2027, and the acquisition of additional land will provide space for future growth beyond these initial investments.

HAS Healthcare Advanced Synthesis Group is proceeding with a five-year investment (2026–2030) program exceeding $120 million that the company first announced in January (January 2026), which includes several key expansions for ADC capabilities, HPAPIs and payloads, and R&D and API capacity upgrades. The company also reported on the integration of Cerbios-Pharma, which the company acquired in 2025, to further build the company’s drug-substance capabilities, including in HPAPIs.

Biomanufacturing: investments continue
On the biologics side, in 2026, Fujifilm Biotechnologies opened a £400 million ($546 million) expansion of its biomanufacturing facility in Teesside, UK. The expansions introduces 2,000-L and 5,000-L single-use bioreactors with a total capacity up to 19,000 L to provide small- and mid-scale antibody manufacturing, with the flexibility to expand to support customer programs as needed. In parallel, the company opened a Bioprocess Innovation Center, which includes a laboratory for both high-throughput, and continuous process development capabilities and which will operate as a Global Center of Excellence for Biomanufacturing Innovation and Process Development. The more than 102,200-square-foot facility doubles the campus’ existing lab footprint and complements the sites’ expanded manufacturing capabilities. In Toyama, Japan, the company completed construction of a 16,000-m² site with small- and mid-scale single-use capacity in December 2025 with future ability to manufacture ADCs. The site is anticipated to be operational in 2027. Also, in late 2025, Fujifilm Biotechnologies and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced a $2-billion partnership over 10 years with J&J securing a 160,000+ square-foot dedicated manufacturing facility at Fujifilm’s biomanufacturing site in Holly Springs, North Carolina. In 2025, Fujifilm opened the first phase of a planned $3.2-billion investment of the Holly Spring site.

Thermo Fisher is expanding with additional biologics drug-substance capacity across facilities in the US and Switzerland, including launching new GMP monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacturing capabilities in Plainville, Massachusetts, in the second half of 2026, to support large-scale production of mAb therapies across multiple indications. The company also expanded its global Bioprocess Design Center (BDC) network with new BDC facilities in the the US and India, complementing existing centers in China, Korea, and Singapore.

Drug-product manufacturing: moves in injectables
Several CDMOs of sterile manufacturing and aseptic fill–finish reported on their capital expansions. In July (July 2026), Resilience, a CDMO of biologic drug substances and drug products, expanded its strategic partnership with Eli Lilly and Company to increase US production with new manufacturing investments in Ohio. Building on a partnership first established in 2023, a $750-million investment by Resilience and Lilly has expanded Resilience’s advanced manufacturing operations in the Cincinnati region, which will now include Lilly’s KwikPen injectable device for innovative medicines for treating diabetes and obesity. Site preparation for the campus expansion is underway, with full operations expected to begin in early 2027. Resilience also announced the establishment of its global headquarters in Blue Ash, Ohio.

Vetter Pharma International GmbH, a CDMO of drug product development, clinical, and commercial aseptic filling and packaging, outlined major expansions to increase the company’s manufacturing footprint in Europe and the US. Vetter announced earlier this year (January 2026) plans to build a new commercial production facility in the southwestern German state of Saarland. The company acquired a 95-acre industrial property that will be developed in phases. Construction of the first phase, which began in the second quarter of 2026, encompasses an initial investment of approximately EUR 480 million ($560 million). The new plant will focus on Phase III and commercial parenteral drug manufacturing, supported by infrastructure such as laboratories, storage facilities, and technical services. The site is expected to be operational by 2031.

Vetter is also advancing a new clinical manufacturing facility in Des Plaines, Illinois. Following the groundbreaking ceremony in June 2025, work is continuing on the 18-acre property, which will house a 160,000-square-foot aseptic fill–finish facility dedicated to early-phase clinical development. With planned investments of approximately EUR 250 million ($292 million), the project is set to reach several major construction milestones in 2026. Site readiness is expected by the end of 2029. With this new facility, Vetter is strengthening its presence in the US market and supplementing its existing clinical network in Skokie, Illinois, and Rankweil, Austria.

Lonza is continuing with its previously announced investment of approximately CHF 500 million ($578 million) to build a large-scale commercial fill-finish facility in Stein, Switzerland. Set to become operational in the second half of 2027, this expansion adds large-scale aseptic manufacturing for injectables, pre-filled syringes, cartridges, and vials.

As it invests in fill-finish capabilities, Lonza made a strategic move on the solid-dosage side as part of a strategy to be a pure-play CDMO by announcing plans to divest its Capsules & Health Ingredients (CHI) business to Lone Star Funds, a private-equity firm, for an enterprise value of CHF 2.3 billion ($3 billion) at closing. Lonza had acquired Capsugel, a producer of capsules, in 2016 for $5.5 billion that had served as a foundation for the CHI business.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions relating to regulatory approvals and completion of the legal separation of CHI from Lonza’s wider business. Upon closing, Lonza will receive upfront proceeds of CHF 1.7 billion ($2.2 billion) and retain a 40% stake in CHI, with an additional preferential participation in a future exit. Total undiscounted proceeds, including upfront and all future proceeds at full exit, are expected to be at or above CHF 3 billion (approximately $4 billion). Lonza says it plans to invest the upfront proceeds into additional organic growth opportunities in line with its overall strategic plan, the One Lonza Strategy, a CDMO organic growth plan, as well as in bolt-on acquisitions.

BSP Pharmaceuticals, a Latina, Italy-based CDMO of drug substances and drug products, is advancing a major expansion of its manufacturing capacity. The expansion plan is structured in two phases. The company estimates that the first wave represents an investment of approximately EUR 200 million ($234 million), with an additional EUR 500 million ($586 million) allocated for the second wave through 2030.

The first phase focuses on bringing new manufacturing capacity online by the end of 2026. The first wave includes significant investments in both drug-substance and drug-product manufacturing. In the company’s cytotoxic manufacturing area, two additional conjugation lines will be completed to complement five existing suites. These new lines will support different ADC scales, with capacity reaching up to approximately 4,500 grams per batch for one line and more than 15,000 grams per batch for the other. The expansion is designed to support the production of ADCs and other highly potent bioconjugates. In parallel, a new manufacturing building is being constructed to accommodate an additional fully contained drug-product line capable of producing both sterile liquid and lyophilized formulations. This line will add more than six million vial units per year to the company’s fill–finish capacity. The investment also includes a non-cytotoxic manufacturing area with two new sterile suites designed for sterile vial production.

Upon completion of the first wave, BSP expects its drug-substance manufacturing capacity to increase from approximately 1,700 kilograms per year to more than 2,700 kilograms annually, representing an increase of roughly 60%. Drug-product capacity for non-cytotoxic vials is projected to expand from approximately 38 million units per year to more than 52 million units annually. The second phase of the program will further expand capacity between 2027 and 2030. Planned additions include two additional conjugation suites for cytotoxic manufacturing and three new sterile suites dedicated to cytotoxic drug-product manufacturing. Another sterile suite will be added for non-cytotoxic drug-product production, with additional space reserved for future expansion if needed. When fully completed, the expanded infrastructure is expected to raise BSP’s drug-substance manufacturing capacity to more than 4,000 kilograms per year. Drug-product capacity will also increase significantly, reaching approximately 61 million cytotoxic vials per year and more than 103 million non-cytotoxic vials annually.

PCI Pharma Services, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based CDMO, announced a series of investments to expand its sterile fill–finish and advanced drug-delivery capabilities as part of a broader $1-billion expansion plan across the company’s US and European operations. A key project is a $100-million expansion at its site in San Diego, California, for a high-speed isolator filling line for ready-to-use prefilled syringes and cartridges. Scheduled to be operational in the first half of 2028, the line will more than double the site’s existing syringe- and cartridge-filling capacity. It will be PCI’s second isolator fill–finish line in San Diego. The site also provides large-scale aseptic filling for prefilled syringes and cartridges, alongside specialized capabilities in oligonucleotides, peptides, complex formulations and lyophilization for injectables such as nanoparticles, mRNA, monoclonal antibodies, proteins, and highly potent products.

In addition, the company is commissioning a GMP isolator vial and lyophilization line at its site in Bedford, New Hampshire. Upon commencing full-scale production, which was scheduled for late April (April 2026), the site will be capable of producing batch sizes of up to 300,000 vials at 400 units per minute, for an annual total of 33 million. The company has also invested in automated visual inspection systems for sterile fill–finish applications at its sites in San Diego and Bedford, New Hampshire. In total, PCI’s US-based infrastructure supports more than 70 million prefilled syringes and cartridges and 40 million vials per year. In addition, in 2027, PCI will add a third autoinjector line to bring its US autoinjector and device assembly capacity to more than 250 million units per year.  In conjunction with expanding its manufacturing platform, PCI is investing in dedicated Development Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in Bedford, New Hampshire, and León, Spain. The CoEs will feature development capabilities in lyophilization, formulation, analytical support, drug-device combination assets, long-acting injectables and ophthalmic products. They will handle both highly potent and non-potent small molecule and biologic modalities in vial, prefilled syringe and cartridge presentations. The Bedford Development CoE became operational in May with León following in June (June 2026).

Thermo Fisher Scientific is expanding global sterile fill-finish and device assembly capacity to support prefilled syringes, vials, cartridges, and autoinjectors, including an expanded partnership with SHL Medical to offer fully integrated device assembly services at Thermo Fisher’s Ridgefield, New Jersey, site.

Also in 2026, Rois, the CDMO arm of Laboratorios Farmacéuticos Rovi, a Madrid, Spain-based bio/pharmaceutical company, closed on its acquisition from Bristol-Myers Squibb of an injectable drug-product manufacturing and packaging site in Phoenix, Arizona. The approximate 370,000-square-foot facility includes a cytotoxic/high-potent (OEB5) area with commercial-scale lyophilization. Rois plans to install an Optima prefilled syringe (PFS) isolator line in a segregated non-potent area in 2027, which is projected to add approximately 65 million–70 million PFS capacity annually once operational. The US facility will be equipped for commercial-scale sterile fill-finish and packaging across vials, PFS, and cartridges. With the acquisition of the Phoenix facility, Rois now has total global network capacity of over 800 million sterile units/year, which includes its production site in Madrid. The company has also entered into a toll manufacturing agreement with BMS at the Phoenix facility. 

Also building US capacity is Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM), a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based CDMO of injectables, which announced in April (April 2026) a $100-million investment to expand its sterile injectable drug-product manufacturing capacity and capabilities for high-volume commercial products in its fifth sterile-filling line and fifth GMP facility. With a capacity of 50 million units per year, the line will accommodate a variety of syringe sizes (ranging from 1mL to 10 mL) and cartridge sizes (from 1.5 mL to 20mL). The fifth GMP facility spans 150,000 square feet and features four filling bays, three of which are reserved for future filling and assembly expansions. This facility is designed to support a second identical groninger line for filling syringes and cartridges. It is adjacent to GRAM’s 200,000-square-foot packaging and warehouse facility.

Incog BioPharma Services is investing $200 million to expand its injectable drug-product manufacturing facility in Fishers, Indiana. By 2030, the company expects to employ nearly 1,000 people at its Fishers campus.