Astorg-backed CordenPharma acquires AmbioPharm, strengthening its position as a leading global peptide development and manufacturing platform

Through the AmbioPharm acquisition, CordenPharma is securing a strong foundation for long-term growth with a second facility in the United States and the addition of production and development capabilities in China for the first time. The transaction complements CordenPharma’s ongoing investment program in Colorado, further solidifying its position as a leading peptide manufacturing partner in the United States through an expanded domestic manufacturing footprint with built-in production redundancy. The Shanghai site will provide strategic access to one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems for drug development, offering a unique combination of scientific talent and speed of execution. Together, CordenPharma and AmbioPharm will create a differentiated peptide platform to address the rapidly growing market demand for peptide-based therapeutics.


Headquartered in Switzerland, CordenPharma is a leading global pharmaceutical CDMO serving more than 290 blue-chip pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers across the drug development lifecycle through five technology platforms and a global network of 11 manufacturing and R&D facilities. Since Astorg’s investment in 2022, CordenPharma has undergone a significant transformation, strategically repositioning the business toward peptides and complex modalities while accelerating investment across manufacturing infrastructure, automation and systems and enabling functions.


Dr. Michael Quirmbach, President & CEO of CordenPharma Group, said:
“We are excited to welcome AmbioPharm to CordenPharma’s expanding global peptide platform. As demand for peptide-based therapeutics continues to accelerate globally, driven by both the rapidly expanding GLP-1 market and a wider pharmaceutical innovation, scale, reliability and technical expertise have never been more important for our customers. AmbioPharm strengthens our position in peptides, expands our production footprint in Asia, and further enhances our ability to deliver operational excellence across our global network. Together, we are even better positioned to support our customers as they bring the next generation of peptide-based medicines to patients worldwide.”


Judith Charpentier, Co-Managing Partner and Co-Head of Flagship, Astorg, added:
“This transaction reflects our deep sector expertise and our ambition to continue building scaled, strategically differentiated healthcare platforms. Since partnering with CordenPharma in 2022, the progress has been remarkable - peptide revenue has grown at an average of 80% per year, establishing CordenPharma as one of the leading global peptide manufacturing platforms. We are excited to deepen our partnership and support this next phase of its development as CordenPharma extends its platform across three continents.”


Antoine Thomas, Director at Astorg, commented:
"Over the past four years, we have worked closely with CordenPharma's management team to strategically reposition the business towards peptides and complex modalities - investing significantly in manufacturing capacity and operational capabilities to build one of the strongest platforms in the sector. AmbioPharm is the right next step: its capabilities and footprint further strengthen CordenPharma's position as the partner of choice for customers developing the next generation of peptide-based therapeutics. This acquisition is a clear example of our creative dealmaking approach and disciplined execution of our value creation plan."