BRIEF—Samsung Bioepis reported interest in Biogen biosimilars business

South Korea’s Samsung Bioepis is considering acquiring the biosimilar business unit of US biotech Biogen for around 1 trillion won ($775.3 million) to improve its presence in the US market, according to local media reports on Wednesday.

If confirmed, the acquisition would see Samsung Bioepis secure a direct sales network in the USA, which could help it boost sales in the world's largest drug market.

The reports on Samsung Bioepis’ potential acquisition came as Biogen is in the process of restructuring to cut costs, after the company’s first Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm failed its first offering.

In 2012, Biogen initially invested in a 15% stake in Samsung Bioepis when it was established as a joint venture that year by Samsung Biologics. Later in 2018, Biogen increased its stake in the joint venture to near 50%, until Samsung Biologics repurchased all shares owned by Biogen in January 2022.