Biopharma manufacturing has become more important than ever with the rise of COVID-19 and the need for new, innovative medical products.

The biopharma manufacturing industry has spent the last couple of years focusing on large molecule drugs and treatments for orphan diseases. Fortunately, with the success that has come with treating these rare diseases, researchers have been able to find solutions to treat COVID-19, a virus that no one knew anything about before the first outbreak in 2020. Biopharma manufacturing has also spent years honing efficiency and effectiveness in every production.

Different companies play different roles in biopharma manufacturing. Businesses like contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) have spent years improving and investing in processes that keep their facilities up to date. These include continuous manufacturing and learning how to lower costs while maintaining quality, finding new process tools to accelerate production and efficiently use resources at hand, installing single-use systems, and inventing or using different processing techniques.

CDMO Samsung Biologics invested heavily in the future of biopharma manufacturing, which in turn, attracted many high-profile partnerships and helped the company continue to look to the future. With the past success of the last two years and a firm foundation laid out, Samsung Biologics looks to play a key role in the biopharma manufacturing industry.

The Many Partners Who Look to Innovate with Samsung Biologics

As a part of the biopharma manufacturing industry, Samsung Biologics has prepared its facilities to assist companies with their cutting-edge medical technology and treatments. Some of these companies rely on Samsung Biologics to assist with the development of COVID-19 vaccines, like Moderna.

Samsung Biologics stated that it will provide large-scale, commercial fill-finish manufacturing for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273. One of the key factors to getting the world back to normal includes mass vaccinations. Moderna’s vaccine has also been proven to be highly effective against other strains of COVID-19, including the delta variant that has afflicted many countries and individuals.

“This vaccine is paramount to people around the world in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and we truly appreciate our client Moderna for entrusting and choosing to partner with Samsung Biologics for the fill and finish of this important vaccine,” said John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics. “Due to the high level of urgency in supplying the vaccine to the global population, we have set immediate action plans and schedules to make mRNA-1273 available for commercial distribution in the early second half of 2021.”

But other medical therapies and treatments play a key role in the future of biopharma manufacturing. The company also partnered with Enzolytics, a company that is developing COVID-19 treatment candidate.

“Partnering with Enzolytics reinforces the value of our fully integrated, end-to-end business model, which is designed to meet the unique needs and goals of our biotech clients,” said Rim. “We look forward to providing comprehensive services and professional support for the manufacturing of this important class of Monoclonal Antibody therapeutics for the treatment of HIV and SARS-CoV-2, helping to accelerate the process of drug development to IND filing and bring these life-saving products to patients.”

More recently, Samsung Biologics has announced its partnership with GreenLight Biosciences to manufacture bulk drug substance for the client company’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate.

Furthering the Biopharma Manufacturing Industry Through Education

As part of its ESG initiatives, Samsung Biologics made a concerted effort to invest in the education of future employees. These programs focus on teaching CDMO methods and gauging interest in CDMOs and biopharma manufacturing in general. Samsung Biologics has also spent time and effort investing in the future of the industry to help both itself and the rest of the pharmaceutical field.

According to the Samsung Biologics annual ESG report, in June 2020, Samsung Biologics signed a memorandum of understanding with the Incheon Jaeneung University to attract and cultivate young and promising talent in the future biopharmaceutical industry. This program details a collaboration with the school to develop courses to train students, create field trips, and provide internships for those who wish to pursue a career in the CDMO world.