CordenPharma Strategy & Vision in the PolyPeptide Market

CordenPharma is a CDMO partner that supports biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the development of pharmaceutical complexes. The group offers outsourced services across the entire value chain, from early clinical development to commercialization. It distinguishes itself through its scientific expertise and offerings in key technologies such as peptides, oligonucleotides, LNPs, sterile injectables, and small molecules. CordenPharma has an integrated network of 11 sites in Europe and North America. 2025 was a pivotal year for CordenPharma, driven by strong growth, strategic investments, and excellent performance in quality and innovation. The group recorded solid results with revenue of €960 million (+11% at constant exchange rates) and the progress of more than 40 new client projects.

CordenPharma celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. In this context, PHARMAnetwork aims to deepen its understanding of the polypeptide segment, a key area of expertise for CordenPharma. We therefore spoke with Dr. Michael Quirmbach, CEO & President CordenPharma about the group’s strategy, its development prospects, and its vision for this rapidly growing market.

“The global therapeutic peptides market is estimated at nearly $50 billion in 2025. In your view, which therapeutic indications are truly driving the market today — and which ones could reshape the landscape tomorrow?”

Today, the peptide market’s growth is driven mainly by metabolic disorders, led by diabetes and obesity, which hold the largest application share. Oncology is the second major driver, supported by increasing use of targeted peptide receptor therapies with improved precision and safety.

Looking ahead, the landscape could shift as peptide–drug conjugates, radiolabeled peptides, and long‑acting or oral peptide formulations mature, especially in oncology and metabolic disease. Emerging opportunities in rare endocrine and infectious diseases, accelerated by advances in peptide engineering and AI‑guided design, also have the potential to redefine future market leadership.

“Both solid-phase and liquid-phase peptide synthesis are experiencing major advances. Where do you see the real technological breakthroughs today, and which ones have the potential to fundamentally transform the economics of production?”

We’re seeing real breakthroughs at the intersection of solid‑phase and liquid‑phase peptide synthesis. On the one hand, modern SPPS is becoming faster and cleaner, thanks to improved reagents, optimized protection strategies, and advanced automation, all of which raise yields and shorten cycle times. On the other hand, hybrid SPPS–LPPS platforms, combined with continuous manufacturing, real‑time PAT, and digital tracking, are redefining scalability and reliability, significantly lowering cost per kilo.

Sustainability advances like aqueous and micellar synthesis also show long‑term promise for reducing solvent burden and overall production costs. And technologies like our own TAPS (TAG-Assisted Peptide Synthesis) further improve robustness and efficiency in complex peptide manufacturing. Together, these innovations move peptide production from traditional batch chemistry to a more scalable, economical, and future-ready industrial model.

“Projections for the pharmaceutical peptides market range from $90 billion to $300 billion by 2033. What is your personal reading of this trajectory — and what risks or headwinds do you think the market is currently underestimating?”

Personally, I believe that the pharmaceutical peptide market will indeed be one of the fastest‑growing therapeutic categories of the next decade, however it’s hard to predict exactly where it will land/ To reach the upper bound of $300 billion, the industry must industrialize peptide manufacturing far beyond today’s footprint. That means continuous processing, digitalized production, hybrid SPPS/LPPS platforms, and more sustainable chemistries such as TAPS, all areas where CordenPharma and other leading CDMOs are now pushing aggressively.

Where I / CordenPharma believe the market is over‑optimistic is around the operational and structural complexity required to sustain this pace. Several headwinds should be considered / or may be underestimated:

Manufacturing constraints – Capacity expansion has not kept pace with current demand projections, and peptide synthesis overall remains capital‑intensive with long lead times for reactors, resins, and specialist equipment.
Supply chain fragility – Specialty raw materials such as resins and protected amino acids remain bottlenecks that can impact both cost and reliability.
Regulatory tightening – Peptides are moving into more complex modalities, and impurity control standards are rising faster than many expect, increasing both timelines and cost.
Talent scarcity – Scaling peptide production requires very deep expertise that is still limited globally.
Payer pushback – As GLP‑1 and other chronic‑use peptides dominate spend, pricing pressure could potentially intensify across markets.

“In a high-growth market, CDMOs occupy a pivotal position between innovation and industrialization. How do you see the role and business model of peptide CDMOs evolving over the next five years — and what will be the decisive differentiating factors?”

Over the next five years, peptide CDMOs will undergo significant transformation, driven by current capacity constraints, therapeutic demand surges, and increasing regulatory complexity. The role of CDMOs will extend beyond classical manufacturing to becoming essentially more strategic partners that bridge innovation (TAPS, Hybrid, Purification technology) and industrial scale‑up. This evolution mirrors broader market trends and directly reinforces CordenPharma’s positioning and long‑term strategy.

The peptide CDMO market is experiencing capacity constraint, with utilization rates of > 85% across major providers and more than 65% of pharma companies outsourcing peptide manufacturing. This pressure accelerates a shift toward full‑service, end‑to-end CDMOs capable of managing clinical development, tech transfer, scale‑up, and commercial production seamlessly. CDMOs who can provide the full spectrum of integrated peptide supply from API through sterile injectable and oral drug products will be best positioned, as they will enable smooth transitions across lifecycle stages. Future differentiator: CDMOs that offer integration, speed, and regulatory fluency will become preferred partners to the industry for Pharma and Biotechs seeking predictable, low‑risk commercialization pathways.

Finally, peptide CDMOs will need to leverage automation, machine learning, continuous manufacturing, advanced purification, and PAT to improve yield, cost, and reproducibility to further differentiate. CordenPharma is already moving in this direction, by deploying advanced technologies such as TAPS, Spray Drying, PAT, and SFC to enhance efficiency and sustainability and building new facilities with modern automation, digital technologies, and advanced production methods to meet future stringent regulatory expectations.

“As competition intensifies and demand accelerates, how does CordenPharma define its competitive advantage in the peptides market today — and what is the long-term vision driving your strategic choices?”

CordenPharma’s competitive strength in peptides today is defined by three reinforcing pillars: unmatched capacity expansion, integrated end‑to‑end capabilities, and deep specialization in complex and large‑scale peptide manufacturing using all technologies – SPPS, LPPS and TAPS (Tag-Assisted Peptide Synthesis).

Unmatched Global Capacity Expansion

CordenPharma is executing one of the largest peptide infrastructure expansions in the CDMO space by investing >€900M–€1B+ into the Colorado, US site to add substantial mid‑ to large‑scale manufacturing capacity to meet surging GLP‑1 demand. This scale is rare among CDMOs and directly addresses the industry‑wide capacity shortages seen as GLP‑1, oncology, and metabolic peptides surge in demand.

Fully Integrated End‑to‑End Peptide Supply

CordenPharma differentiates itself through an integrated network that spans:

Peptide API development and scale-up
Sterile injectable and oral peptide drug product manufacturing combined with Analytical development, validation, and regulatory support
Our global network enables seamless transitions from First-In‑Human (FIH) batches to full commercial manufacturing, reducing timelines and complexity for biotech and pharma innovators. This integration answers a major market need: in a highly capacity‑constrained CDMO sector where supply chain security is a top priority, integrated providers with multi‑modality capabilities have become the preferred strategic partners.

Specialization in Complex, High‑Value Peptides

CordenPharma’s expertise spans: Short and long peptides under the industry’s most stringent quality standards, including BLA‑compliant manufacturing; advanced technologies such as TAPS, SFC purification; hybrid SPPS/LPPS approaches; targeted payload delivery; proven leadership in GLP‑1 agonists, supported by long‑term contracts underpinning expanded manufacturing footprints in both Europe and the US.

This positions CordenPharma at the forefront of the fastest‑growing peptide segments, including diabetes, obesity, oncology, and next‑generation peptide conjugates.

In March 2025, you announced a landmark investment of over one billion euros over three years to expand your manufacturing capabilities across Europe and the United States. Where do you stand concretely in the rollout of this program — and what are the first milestones you have reached?”

We are well into execution of our three‑year, €1 billion expansion program we announced in March 2025, and several major milestones have already been reached at our US site. The expansion is backed by several long‑term customer contracts, which position our CordenPharma Colorado site as one of the world’s most capable large‑scale peptide hubs. We’ve also made progress integrating these new assets into our global peptide network, ensuring end‑to‑end supply from early development through sterile injectable and oral drug product manufacturing. With construction underway and hiring already in progress, we are fairly on track with the milestones we set out in early 2025.

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