CordenPharma and Viking Therapeutics to Partner for Integrated Supply of GLP-1s

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Switzerland-based contract development and manufacturing organization CordenPharma has announced a strategic partnership with the clinical-stage company Viking Therapeutics, of San Diego, Calif., under the terms of which CordenPharma will provide its development and manufacturing services to help meet clinical and commercial demand of Viking Therapeutics’ glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug candidate, VK2735 (1).

The collaboration, announced on March 11, 2025, is a multi-year supply contract—the exact length was not specified in a CordenPharma press release—and covers the full supply chain, from drug substance to drug product, for both subcutaneous and oral peptide formulations (1).

VK2735 is a dual GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist being developed for the treatment of metabolic disorders such as obesity, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and other rare conditions, according to information provided by Viking Therapeutics (2).

In January 2025, looking at the key trends for the year ahead, Pharmapack Europe and CPHI identified growing profits from GLP-1s as one of the factors expected to drive a boom in the pharmaceutical industry (3). In addition, aseptic filling capacity is expected to be tied up in the clinical filling needs of GLP-1s, especially with generic GLP-1s entering the market.

“The result is that we will see biotechs widening supplier networks and potentially even Big Pharma searching for new partners for GLP-1s,” Pharmapack said in a press release at the time (3).

CordenPharma said it will leverage its global network of advanced manufacturing facilities, citing “built-in redundancy” through multiple sites, for large-scale peptide drug substance, sterile injectable fill/finish, and oral solid dosage finished product with the goal of developing and commercializing VK2735 within a secure, uninterrupted supply chain (1).

“We are proud to support Viking Therapeutics with a strong end-to-end offering for their complex modalities, from peptide drug substance to drug product, for this innovative VK2735 drug candidate,” Michael Quirmbach, president and CEO of the CordenPharma group, said in the company’s press release (1). “Our global teams are excited to provide true integration of our expertise across the pharma supply chain to meet the increasing demand for GLP-1 peptide therapeutics and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.”

News of the new partnership comes within a week of another major announcement by CordenPharma, which said on March 5, 2025 that it had finalized plans to construct a state-of-the-art peptide manufacturing facility at Getec Park in Muttenz, Switzerland, pursuant to plans previously disclosed in July 2024 and reflecting a desire by the company to expand its peptide platform business to a sales milestone of more than €1 billion (US$1.09 billion) by 2028 (4).

“We are excited to announce the construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant just outside Basel, Switzerland, within one of the leading pharma and biotech hubs in Europe,” Quirmbach said in a press release (4). “The new facility is designed to deliver flexible and efficient peptide manufacturing to meet the growing demand of innovative peptide medicines for our customers and ultimately, patients.”

References

1. CordenPharma. CordenPharma & Viking Therapeutics Sign Long-Term Strategic Partnership for Integrated Supply of GLP-1 Peptides, Injectables & Oral Formulations. Press Release. March 11, 2025.
2. Viking Therapeutics. VK2735 (Subcutaneous & Oral Formulations) Dual GLP-1/GIP Receptor Agonist. VikingTherapeutics.com (accessed March 13, 2025).
3. Pharmapack Europe. Pharmapack Predictions 2025: the Good the Bad and…. the Donald 2.0. Press Release. Jan. 13, 2025.
4. CordenPharma. CordenPharma Expands Peptide Platform with >€500m Greenfield Facility Construction in the Basel Region of Switzerland. Press Release. March 5, 2025.