European Antibody & Biosimilar Therapeutics 2026: mAbs, ADCs, Biosimilars

The European antibody-therapeutics layer concentrates in two overlapping clusters. Genmab (Copenhagen) runs the Nordic antibody-therapeutics commercial platform with partnered commercial products (DARZALEX with J&J confirmed publicly, plus the TEPKINLY / EPKINLY franchise with AbbVie confirmed in Genmab disclosures) and a deep oncology pipeline. In Sweden, the antibody-innovator belt covers Lund (Alligator Bioscience for CD40 biology and immuno-oncology antibodies; Cantargia for IL1RAP-targeted oncology; Lipum in Umeå for BSSL-targeted chronic inflammatory therapeutics), Stockholm (BioArctic for neurodegenerative antibodies with the Leqembi / lecanemab partnership with Eisai disclosed publicly), and Helsingborg (Lead Biologics). Germany adds Affimed (Heidelberg/Ladenburg) for innate-immune engagers (NK-cell-based bispecific antibodies), VERAXA Biotech (Heidelberg) for pipeline antibodies, Glycotope (Berlin) for glycoengineered antibodies, and Tubulis (Munich) for clinical-stage ADCs. Switzerland adds Alentis Therapeutics (Basel) for fibrosis and oncology antibodies, plus Memo Therapeutics (Schlieren) and Light Chain Bioscience (Plan-les-Ouates) for bispecific and light-chain-based platforms.

ADCs are the most commercially active antibody sub-modality in 2026. ADC Therapeutics (Epalinges, Switzerland) runs the European ADC commercial story with ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine) as its approved product for relapsed / refractory large B-cell lymphoma and a broader pipeline behind it. Adcendo (Copenhagen, Denmark) runs clinical-stage ADCs with the Adcendo pipeline. Heidelberg Pharma (Heidelberg, Germany) develops ADC platforms using amanitin-based payloads. Tubulis (Munich) operates clinical-stage ADCs using its P5 toxin conjugation platform. Cerbios-Pharma (Barbengo, Switzerland) provides ADC + HPAPI CDMO services as part of the Swiss specialty-manufacturing layer. VERAXA Biotech (Heidelberg) adds pipeline-stage antibody + ADC programmes. Together, six directory operators cover the European ADC stack from discovery + platform through clinical + commercial scope.

The European biosimilar manufacturing layer has narrowed since the Sandoz spin-out. Sandoz (Basel, independent listed company on SIX since October 2023 when Novartis completed the spin-out) is the only directory-surfaced European operator running biosimilars at in-house commercial manufacturing scale — the others operate as CDMOs, not product owners. Mabion (Łódź, Poland) runs antibody biosimilar CDMO services at commercial scope, supporting sponsors developing biosimilar versions of originator mAbs. Rezon Bio (Gdańsk / Warsaw, rebranded Polpharma Biologics CDMO arm) runs biosimilar manufacturing and mammalian cell culture CDMO services. Paras Biopharmaceuticals (Oulu, Finland) adds biologics + biosimilars + recombinant-protein process development and CDMO services. Icosagen Group (Tartu, Estonia) runs antibody CDMO + research services. Glycotope (Berlin) licenses glyco-legacy IP alongside development-stage programmes. Bioton (Warsaw) runs insulin biomanufacturing at commercial scope (an insulin-generic adjacent to the biosimilar layer). For sponsors running biosimilar programmes, these seven operators cover the directory’s biosimilar + antibody-CDMO layer.

European antibody discovery operates through a discovery + platform layer the directory surfaces. Pure Biologics (Wroclaw, Poland) runs antibody + aptamer discovery services. Light Chain Bioscience / Novimmune (Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland) operates a bispecific-antibody platform using its light-chain technology. Memo Therapeutics (Schlieren, Switzerland) develops antibody discovery and clinical-stage programmes. Lead Biologics (Helsingborg, Sweden) and Calluna Pharma (Oslo, Norway) add regional discovery layers. ANGENOVO (Rissa, Norway) provides antibody development tools. For sponsors looking for European discovery or bispecific-platform partners, this cluster covers the core directory options.

Antibody + ADC therapeutics have a specialised supply chain the directory surfaces. For the antibody drug substance, the European biologics CDMOs the directory covers — Lonza (Visp), Rentschler Biopharma (Laupheim), FUJIFILM Diosynth Denmark (Hillerod), AGC Biologics (Heidelberg + Soborg), Vetter Pharma (Ravensburg fill-finish), Celonic (Basel), FyoniBio (Heidelberg), AGC Biologics Heidelberg — form the core shortlist (see the European CDMO Capacity 2026 brief). For the ADC conjugation step, Cerbios-Pharma (Barbengo) and CARBOGEN AMCIS (Bubendorf) cover ADC + HPAPI capacity. For biosimilar manufacturing, Mabion and Rezon Bio are the Polish options, Paras Biopharmaceuticals is the Finnish option, Icosagen is the Baltic option. Sandoz manufactures biosimilars in-house at scale. Synthetic-API inputs (peptides, oligonucleotides) route through Bachem (Bubendorf) and BioSpring (Frankfurt). The European CDMO Capacity 2026 and Swiss Biotech Landscape 2026 briefs cover the manufacturing layer in more depth.

Match the decision to the modality. Commercial antibody partnership or licensing: Genmab (Copenhagen) is the Nordic commercial-stage antibody operator with disclosed partnerships (Janssen, AbbVie). Clinical antibody therapeutics: Alligator Bioscience, BioArctic, Cantargia, Affimed, Alentis Therapeutics, Tubulis. ADC clinical + commercial: ADC Therapeutics (ZYNLONTA commercial), Adcendo, Heidelberg Pharma, Tubulis. ADC + HPAPI CDMO: Cerbios-Pharma or CARBOGEN AMCIS (see the Swiss Biotech Landscape 2026 brief). Antibody biosimilar CDMO: Mabion (Polish), Rezon Bio (Polish), Paras Biopharmaceuticals (Finnish), Icosagen (Estonian). In-house biosimilar manufacturing at commercial scale: Sandoz (Swiss, the directory’s only in-house biosimilar product owner at that scope). Insulin biomanufacturing: Bioton (Polish). Discovery and platform partners: Pure Biologics, Light Chain Bioscience, Memo Therapeutics, Lead Biologics. The How to Pick a European Biotech Partner 2026 brief covers cross-modality partner selection.