API and drug product manufacturer CordenPharma has finalised plans to build a novel peptide manufacturing facility in Muttenz, Switzerland.
The site, which will be located at Getec Park, is 8km away from Basel — a key European biotech and pharma hub.
Through an investment of more than €500m, CordenPharma will construct and inaugurate a facility with multiple manufacturing lines, which will support small, medium and large-scale solid phase peptide synthesis.
The site will be equipped to produce both GLP-1 and non-GLP-1 peptides, with a reactor capacity of over 5,000L.
"The new facility is designed to deliver flexible and efficient peptide manufacturing to meet the growing demand of innovative peptide medicines for our customers and ultimately, patients," commented President and CEO of CordenPharma, Dr Michael Quirmbach.
CordenPharma plan to achieve this by automating a large proportion of the manufacturing process, while utilising digitalisation and next-generation peptide production technologies.
Construction is likely to begin begin this year, and commercial activities are estimated to commence in the first half of 2028 — which will generate more than 300 jobs for skilled workers within the region.
Further expansion in the US underway
Alongside the construction of the Muttenz site, CordenPharma is expanding its US peptide manufacturing facility in Boulder, Colorado.
By expanding existing lines and constructing a new production area, the company will double its solid phase peptide synthesis capacity to more than 42,000 L, which will strenghten CordenPharma's presence in the biopharma CDMO niche.
Following these expansions, CordenPharma will be one of the largest peptide manufacturing partners in the space.
The expansions in Europe and the US were made possible by Astorg, a pan-European private equity firm that acquired the CDMO in 2022.
Judith Charpentier, Co-Head Flagship Fund and Head of Healthcare at Astorg, noted: “CordenPharma’s bold expansion reflects its leadership in addressing the growing demand for peptide manufacturing."
"As a long-term investor, we are fully committed to supporting this growth, combining industrial excellence with strategic investment to strengthen CordenPharma’s position as a leading global CDMO. Ultimately, this expansion contributes to expanding access to those life-saving peptide-based medicines for patients.”