CordenPharma has agreed to acquire AmbioPharm, a U.S.-headquartered peptide active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) contract development and manufacturing organization with facilities in North Augusta, South Carolina, and Shanghai, China. The deal is intended to strengthen CordenPharma’s U.S. peptide manufacturing capabilities, broaden its expertise in complex peptide APIs, and expand options for global peptide supply.
AmbioPharm’s two sites add differentiated peptide manufacturing capabilities to CordenPharma’s existing Peptides Platform. Once combined, the platform will span advanced linear and fragment‑based peptide approaches supported by flexible solid‑phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), liquid‑phase peptide synthesis (LPPS), hybrid synthesis, and CordenPharma’s Tag‑Assisted Peptide Synthesis (TAPS). After closing, customers are expected to have more flexible options to match specific manufacturing requirements for complex, long, and high‑purity peptide APIs.
AmbioPharm employs about 400 people across its South Carolina and Shanghai facilities. The acquisition builds on CordenPharma’s existing network of 11 sites in Europe and North America, expanding U.S. peptide manufacturing capacity and adding Shanghai‑based peptide supply to its footprint. The North Augusta site will become CordenPharma’s second U.S. peptide facility, adding significant capacity focused on purification and lyophilization of peptide APIs and complementing capabilities at CordenPharma Colorado to support fully U.S.-based supply for large‑scale commercial peptide projects.
At AmbioPharm’s Shanghai campus, CordenPharma plans to use a state‑of‑the‑art peptide manufacturing facility to support clinical and commercial supply globally, with substantial upstream capacity across SPPS, LPPS, and hybrid synthesis and selected downstream capabilities. By integrating the North Augusta and Shanghai sites, CordenPharma will extend its Peptides Platform across three continents and offer end‑to‑end peptide development and manufacturing support.
Since CordenPharma was acquired by Astorg in 2022, it has expanded its peptide platform through strategic investments and added capacity. As part of the AmbioPharm transaction, AmbioPharm’s shareholders will reinvest in the combined business, which the companies said reflects confidence in the capabilities and long‑term growth prospects of the enlarged Peptides Platform. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions; financial terms were not disclosed.
“This acquisition significantly bolsters CordenPharma's Peptides Platform with complementary capabilities and advances our strategic objective to serve as a leading peptide manufacturing partner,” said Michael Quirmbach, president and CEO of CordenPharma Group. He noted that as peptide programs become more complex, customers are looking for CDMO partners that can offer both upstream scientific route selection and robust processes alongside downstream scale and geographic flexibility, and said AmbioPharm’s capabilities align with those needs.
AmbioPharm CEO Brian Gregg called joining CordenPharma “an exciting new chapter” that will allow customers to tap broader technical capabilities, increased global capacity, and a highly reliable peptides platform delivered through a fully integrated global facility network, while keeping focus on patients who depend on peptide‑based medicines.
Astorg director Antoine Thomas said the acquisition is an important step in CordenPharma’s growth journey, enhancing its strategic position and supporting long‑term growth in peptides. CordenPharma board chair Paul Perreault said the deal comes at a time of expanding promise for peptide therapies and strengthens the company’s ability to deliver on that potential for partners. Ling Yang, partner and head of healthcare at Carlyle Asia, said Carlyle is proud of AmbioPharm’s progress and views the merger as a strong fit given CordenPharma’s peptide platform, adding that Carlyle remains confident in the growth prospects of the global peptide CDMO market and plans to continue supporting the combined business.