Home > Business > Industry

Samsung Biologics to spin off CDMO business from biosimilars

Published: 17 Oct. 2025, 18:45

Samsung Biologics holds an extraordinary general meeting on Oct. 17. [SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS]

Samsung Biologics, the biopharmaceutical arm of Samsung Group, will completely separate its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business from its biosimilar operations after shareholders approved a spinoff plan Friday.

The company announced that its shareholders approved the proposal at an extraordinary general meeting held the same day, with 99.9 percent voting in favor. About 93 percent of voting shares, held by 1,286 shareholders, were represented. With the approval, Samsung Biologics will complete the spinoff on Nov. 1 and operate solely as a CDMO company.

Samsung Bioepis, previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Biologics, will become a 100-percent subsidiary of a new holding company, Samsung Epis Holdings. The new entity will take over full ownership of Bioepis and oversee subsidiary management and new investments.

The decision aims to address client concerns and support growth in both the CDMO and biosimilar sectors. Some of Samsung Biologics’ global CDMO clients — which include original drug developers — had expressed concerns that their proprietary technologies could be exposed to Bioepis, which produces biosimilar drugs.

“Because Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis were in a parent-subsidiary relationship, some clients perceived them as a single entity, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest,” the company said earlier.

The record date for the split is Nov. 1. Trading of Samsung Biologics shares will be suspended from Oct. 30 to Nov. 21, and the newly established Samsung Epis Holdings will be relisted on Nov. 24. Under the spinoff ratio, existing shareholders will receive Samsung Biologics and Samsung Epis Holdings shares at a ratio of 0.65 to 0.35.

“This separation will allow both the CDMO and biosimilar businesses to be properly valued in the capital market,” said John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics.

“Samsung Epis Holdings plans to expand its global biosimilar market share through Samsung Bioepis, while its new subsidiaries will pursue next-generation growth businesses such as biotechnology platforms,” he added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LIM SUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]