Korean CDMO Samsung Biologics will produce COVID-19 antibody therapies for Eli Lilly as it signs another multi-hundred-million-dollar contract with a Big Pharma firm.
Eli Lilly originally approached contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Samsung Biologics in May as it looked to secure capacity for its range of potential COVID-19 treatments.
Samsung was able to manufacture and deliver an initial supply of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) within five months, and as such the CDMO has become a strategic partner for Eli Lilly in a deal worth close to $150 million.
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“The contract value of the deal is USD 149,999,994. The deal is a long-term supply agreement between Samsung and Lilly, including COVID-19 treatment,†a spokesperson from Samsung Biologics told us.
“Our team of experts at Samsung and Lilly worked very collaboratively including daily conference calls, to shorten the delivery timeline as much as possible.â€
No further details were given regarding to therapies or capacity.
Eli Lilly has several potential therapies being trialed against SARS-CoV-2. The two most promising are virus neutralizing antibodies for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 – LY-CoV555 and LY-CoV016, respectively forged through a collaboration with AbCellera in March and a license deal with Junshi Biosciences in May.
Samsung Biologics is one of several CDMOs to be contracted by Lilly in anticipation of commercialization of its monoclonal antibodies against COVID-19. Other third-party manufacturers include Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and Amgen.
For Samsung Biologics, Lilly becomes the latest pharma giant to end up on its books. In September, the CDMO inked a deal worth $331 million with AstraZeneca, and in May GSK entered into a $231 million deal with the firm.
Samsung Biologics has also announced a plethora of contracts with smaller biopharma firms, including Belgian firm UCB, Cytdyn, and – within the past few months – PharmAbcine, Panolos Bioscience, Immunomedics, ImmuneOncia, and STCube.
The timing of this latest deal comes as Samsung Biologics broke ground on its fourth facility at its site in Songdo, Korea. The so-called ‘P4 Super Plant’ – which represents an investment of 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) – will boast 256,000 L of manufacturing capacity when it opens in 2023, giving the CDMO a total 620,000 L across its site.