Samsung Biologics opens world's largest single pharmaceutical plant in Incheon

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong visits Samsung Biologics' fourth plant in Songdo, Incheon, on Tuesday. [SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS]

Samsung Biologics held an opening ceremony for its fourth plant, the world’s largest single pharmaceutical plant, in Songdo, Incheon, on Tuesday, attended by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

The plant, which has an annual production capacity of 240,000 liters, will increase the total production capacity of Samsung Biologics to 420,000 liters upon its partial operation.

Samsung Biologics started construction of the Songdo plant in 2020, and its full operation is scheduled for next year.

Once the plant is running at full force in 2023, the plant is expected to increase its total production capacity to 620,000 liters, which Samsung says is equivalent to nearly 30 percent of the global contract manufacturing capacity for biopharmaceuticals, beating Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim and Switzerland's Lonza.

Samsung spent around 2 trillion won ($1.4 billion) to construct the fourth plant and is estimated to spend a total of 7 trillion won for its fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth facilities at another site in Songdo.

Samsung Biologics has major global companies as its customers, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Eli Lilly.

After the ceremony, Lee met with senior executives at Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis to discuss mid- and long-term strategies to enhance its competitiveness as a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and a biosimilar producer.

Samsung Bioepis, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Biologics, has a total of six biosimilar products in use globally and is planning to increase the number of products in development around the world.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]