Who’s Building APAC’s Oligonucleotide & Peptide Future?

‍The companies, capabilities and manufacturing hubs shaping the region

‍Asia-Pacific is becoming one of the most important regions to watch in oligonucleotide and peptide development and manufacturing. What makes the region particularly interesting is not simply the number of companies entering the space, but the depth of capabilities being built across China, Japan, South Korea, India and Singapore.

Across the region, companies are moving beyond traditional chemistry services and investing in integrated discovery, CMC, analytical development and commercial manufacturing capabilities. At the same time, the growing complexity of oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics is creating demand for more specialised expertise in areas such as conjugation, delivery, purification and scale-up.

For companies developing these therapies, that creates a very practical question: who should be on your radar?

‍Rather than simply listing the biggest names in the market, we look at the companies building the capabilities that could shape the next phase of APAC's oligonucleotide and peptide industry.

China: Building at Scale

‍China has emerged as one of the region's most significant manufacturing centres for oligonucleotides and peptides, with several companies investing heavily in capacity and integrated development platforms.

One of the most prominent examples is WuXi TIDES, which operates an integrated CRDMO platform spanning discovery, CMC development, API and drug-product manufacturing, analytical services and regulatory support. The company reports a network of 10 R&D and manufacturing sites and more than 100,000 L of total SPPS reactor volume across its global operations. Its Asian network includes dedicated capabilities for oligonucleotides, peptides, conjugates and related technologies.

That scale is important, but perhaps more significant is the breadth of the platform. Customers increasingly want partners that can support a molecule as it moves from early discovery into development and eventually commercial supply, rather than having to manage multiple hand-offs between specialist providers.

Other Chinese players, including RiboBio, Hongene Biotech and Pharmaron, are also part of the growing regional oligonucleotide development and manufacturing ecosystem.

The result is a Chinese market that is increasingly defined not just by manufacturing scale, but by the ability to connect chemistry, development and production.

Japan: Where Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Expertise Meet

‍Japan brings something different to the APAC landscape.

The country has a long-established pharmaceutical and advanced-chemistry ecosystem, giving its oligonucleotide and peptide sector a strong foundation in synthetic chemistry, process development and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services is one of the established names to watch, while Sumitomo Chemical also contributes to the region's oligonucleotide manufacturing landscape. Both sit within a broader Japanese pharmaceutical ecosystem with considerable experience in complex chemistry and manufacturing.

Japan's significance therefore isn't necessarily about competing purely on the number of programmes or the size of individual manufacturing facilities. Its strength lies in the depth of technical expertise available across chemistry, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.

As oligonucleotide and peptide molecules become increasingly sophisticated, that expertise could become even more valuable.

South Korea: Turning Manufacturing Strength Towards Oligonucleotides

‍South Korea has already established itself as a major global biopharmaceutical manufacturing hub. The next question is how that manufacturing strength translates into increasingly complex synthetic modalities.

ST Pharm is one of the most prominent Korean names in oligonucleotide manufacturing and is frequently identified among the leading Asian players in the space.

The company's position is particularly interesting because it sits within an ecosystem already known for large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing and CDMO capabilities.

For South Korea, the opportunity is therefore not simply to develop more oligonucleotide programmes. It is to leverage existing manufacturing infrastructure and expertise as demand for commercial-scale oligonucleotide production grows.

India: Moving Further Into Complex Modalities

‍India's CDMO industry has traditionally benefited from its strong pharmaceutical manufacturing base, but the country's position is increasingly evolving towards more complex modalities and higher-value development services.

Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services is one company worth watching. Its capabilities include oligonucleotide and peptide development and manufacturing, alongside a broader CRDMO offering. Its peptide platform covers linear, branched, cyclic and disulfide-bridged peptides, with capabilities spanning discovery through development and manufacturing.

Aragen Life Sciences is another important player. The company has identified oligonucleotides and peptides among the complex modalities supporting its broader CDMO expansion strategy. In 2025, Aragen announced a $100 million investment from Quadria Capital to support capacity expansion, infrastructure and technology adoption.

The broader direction is worth watching. India's opportunity is increasingly moving beyond the traditional perception of cost-efficient pharmaceutical outsourcing towards complex chemistry, integrated development and specialised manufacturing.

Singapore: A Strategic Link in the Regional Network

‍Singapore may not have the sheer manufacturing volume of China, but its position as a highly regulated pharmaceutical and biomanufacturing hub makes it strategically important.

Its location, infrastructure and established international manufacturing ecosystem make it particularly attractive as a regional base for companies looking to connect Asian manufacturing capabilities with global customers.

WuXi TIDES, for example, has identified additional oligonucleotide manufacturing capacity at its Singapore site, highlighting the country's role within the company's wider Asian manufacturing network.

For the oligonucleotide and peptide industry, Singapore's value may therefore lie less in competing on absolute scale and more in its ability to serve as a bridge between Asian manufacturing networks and global pharmaceutical markets.

The Bigger Shift: From Specialist Supplier to Strategic Partner

‍Across these markets, one trend is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: integration is becoming a competitive advantage.

‍As oligonucleotide and peptide programmes become more complex, companies are looking for partners that can do more than manufacture a molecule once the chemistry has already been established.

They need support across discovery, process development, analytical characterisation, CMC, scale-up and commercial manufacturing. The fewer gaps there are between these stages, the easier it becomes to transfer knowledge, manage timelines and reduce the risks associated with moving a programme forward.

This explains the growing importance of integrated CRDMO models across APAC.

WuXi TIDES is perhaps the clearest example, with capabilities spanning discovery through commercialisation across oligonucleotides, peptides and conjugates. Aurigene is also building an integrated proposition across discovery, development and manufacturing.

For customers, the question is changing from:

“Can you manufacture my molecule?”
‍to:
“How much of the molecule's journey can you support?”

‍That distinction could become increasingly important as more oligonucleotide and peptide programmes move towards clinical and commercial stages.

So, Who Should Be on Your Radar?

‍There is no single APAC winner. Each market is developing around a different combination of strengths.

• ‍China is pushing scale and integrated manufacturing.
• ‍Japan brings deep chemistry and pharmaceutical expertise.
• ‍South Korea is leveraging its established manufacturing infrastructure.
• ‍India is moving further into complex chemistry and integrated CDMO services.
• ‍Singapore is strengthening its role as a regional and global manufacturing connector.

‍
And the companies operating within these ecosystems are increasingly competing not simply on price or capacity, but on technology, flexibility, speed, integration and the ability to support increasingly complex molecules.

That is perhaps the most important development to watch.

APAC's oligonucleotide and peptide industry is no longer simply growing. It is becoming more sophisticated.

‍The companies that ultimately emerge as the region's most important players may not necessarily be those with the biggest facilities or the longest list of capabilities. They will be the ones that can connect the different parts of the value chain effectively, helping customers move from an interesting molecule in the laboratory to a manufacturable product at commercial scale.

And that makes APAC one of the regions to watch most closely as the next generation of oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics moves forward.