Peptides and oligonucleotides: Production
Why a few Swiss plants and two drug giants dominate
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | not published | ||
| World output | not published | ||
| Capacity utilisation | tight in 2023-2026 for GLP-1 APIs | CDMOs signed multi-year contracts (CordenPharma about EUR 3 billion) and are building capacity. FDA ended the semaglutide shortage listing in 2025 (indicative). | IntuitionLabs citing CordenPharma (2026) |
| Concentration | originators (Novo, Lilly) make most GLP-1 API in house; outsourced peptide market led by Bachem, CordenPharma, PolyPeptide (indicative) | Shares not published. | qualitative |
| New capacity | Bachem capex above CHF 400 million in 2026; CordenPharma EUR 900 million (2024-2027) | Bachem Building K first phase approved by Swiss regulator end-2025, ramping in 2026; Bachem bought plots at Sisslerfeld (Eiken). Samsung-PolyPeptide deal closing end-2026. Lonza considering a $1 billion Ohio plant. | Bachem FY2025; IntuitionLabs (2026); GEN (2026) |
Top producing countries
- Switzerland: Bachem (Bubendorf, Vionnaz), PolyPeptide, Lonza
- Denmark and US: Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly captive GLP-1 API
- China: WuXi TIDES, Hybio and many generic peptide makers
- India: emerging: generic semaglutide makers and CDMO peptide capacity (Laurus, Divi's)
- Korea and Japan: ST Pharm (oligos), Samsung Biologics (via PolyPeptide bid), Nitto Avecia
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachem EBITDA margin 30.9%; capex over CHF 400 million in 2026 | Switzerland | 695 CHF million sales | 2025 | Bachem FY2025 media release |
| CordenPharma EUR 900 million peptide investment announced July 2024 | Germany / Switzerland | not published | 2024 | IntuitionLabs |
| PolyPeptide Group deal expected to close end-2026 | Switzerland | 1.46 CHF billion equity value in Samsung offer | 2026 | GEN Top 10 CDMOs 2026 |
| WuXi AppTec (WuXi TIDES) 1260H listing June 2026 | China | not published | 2026 | FDA Law Blog |
| Novo Nordisk captive API | Denmark | 13.8 $ billion Ozempic sales | 2023 | DCAT |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divi's Laboratories solid and liquid peptide investment | India | not published | FY26 | BoB Capital |
| Laurus Labs peptide capex FY27-28 | India | not published | FY26 | Laurus FY26 press release |
| Dr Reddy's, Sun, Zydus, Biocon launches after Indian semaglutide patent expiry, March 2026 (indicative) | India | not published | 2026 | press reports (indicative) |
India has no large peptide API plant yet comparable to Bachem's; capacity is being built by Divi's, Laurus and generic makers. Oligonucleotide API manufacturing in India is minimal (not confirmed).
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | BIOSECURE Act may shift peptide and oligo outsourcing away from WuXi; Lilly and Novo building US API plants. |
| EU | Home of Bachem, PolyPeptide, CordenPharma; REACH limits on DMF and NMP. |
| India | Generic GLP-1 market opened in 2026; CDMOs building peptide plants. |
| China | Strong generic peptide base; WuXi TIDES under US pressure. |
| Japan | Nitto Avecia, Ajinomoto in oligos. |
| Middle East | Not material. |