South Africa Eyes ECB Repo Lines as Inflation Eases and Rate Cuts Loom 
SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Weight-Loss Drug Ads Take Over the Super Bowl as Pharma Embraces Direct-to-Consumer Marketing 
Russian Stocks End Mixed as MOEX Index Closes Flat Amid Commodity Strength 
Dollar Near Two-Week High as Stock Rout, AI Concerns and Global Events Drive Market Volatility 
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination 
SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision 
Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Steps Down After Layoffs 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
DBS Expects Slight Dip in 2026 Net Profit After Q4 Earnings Miss on Lower Interest Margins 
Anta Sports Expands Global Footprint With Strategic Puma Stake 
India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out 
Samsung Biologics just opened the largest Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) plant in the world, and it is located in Incheon, South Korea. The biotech firm is now hoping that through its new pharmaceutical facility, it will be able to replicate the success of its chip manufacturing business.
Samsung Biologics inaugurated the plant on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and it was attended by the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae Yong. The facility is now the biopharma firm’s fourth factory.
The company usually has an annual production capacity of 240,000 liters and this will now become 420,000 liters as the new plant starts its partial operation. The construction of the Songdo plant began in 2020, and it is expected to go into full operation next year.
As per Korea Joongang Daily, once it runs in full force, Samsung Biologics is expecting to further increase its production capacity up to 620,000 liters. The company said this amount is equivalent to almost 30% of the global contract manufacturing capacity for biopharma firms.
With this volume, Samsung Biologics defeated Switzerland’s Lonza Group AG and Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
In any case, Samsung invested KRW2 trillion or about $1.4 billion for the construction of its new Songdo plant, and in the future, the company may spend a total of KRW7 trillion on building its fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth plants in the same region but on another site. Samsung Biologics is expanding its facilities to accommodate more orders from its major global clients, such as Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Moderna, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca.
Meanwhile, the Samsung chief met with the senior executives of Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis after the inauguration ceremony for the Songdo factory. They talked about mid and long-term strategies to improve competitiveness as CDMO and a biosimilar manufacturer.
The Korea Times reported that at the meeting, Lee Jae Yong vowed to put in a new investment of KRW7.5 trillion or $5.2 billion to widen the gap from its rivals in the bio business and move ahead to become the leader in the industry. He said that Samsung will release the fund for its biotech unit by 2032.
