Lonza Invests in Two Swiss Expansions

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Swiss contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza Group (Basel, Switzerland) has announced a number of plant expansion projects for its Swiss facilities.

The company is adding a Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) filling line at its Stein site to enable handling and filling of bioconjugates for commercial supply. The commercial-scale addition comes on the back of an extension of a collaboration with an unnamed "major bio-pharmaceutical partner" for manufacturing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) drug substance and drug product. The dedicated filling line will enable the aseptic filling of highly-potent ADCs and lyophilization under containment. ADCs are typically used for selective targeting of cancer cells. Approximately 115 new jobs will be created when the line is commissioned in 2027. Lonza is aiming to capitalize on strong growth in the ADC market. It stated that the value of the total bioconjugates market is currently US$33 billion, of which the ADC market is valued at US$10 billion. The ADC market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% between 2023 and 2028 according to market researcher EvaluatePharma.

Industrial Info is also tracking the major US$518 million expansion of the current Stein site. The company is constructing a 150,000-square-foot (sq.ft.) expansion at the existing 47,000-sq.ft. filling and finish CDMO facility. It will be commissioned in 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Pharmaceutical & Biotech Project Database can click here for the report.

"The new dedicated cGMP commercial line...will further strengthen our capabilities within Drug Product Services, encompassing drug product formulation and analytical development, and early-launch, clinical filling and commercial filling," commented Peter Droc, head of drug product services, Lonza.

At its leading Swiss manufacturing operation in Visp, the company will increase the current dedicated bioconjugation capacity fourfold by adding two new bioconjugation suites for the commercial supply of ADCs at its Ibex Dedicate Biopark. The extension will cover 1,500 square meters of manufacturing space, and will connect to key infrastructure supporting the containment of highly potent drug linkers and the handling of bioconjugates in a highly automated, high-throughput environment. The company said the two dedicated manufacturing areas will "comprise one of the largest bioconjugation facilities globally." Coming onstream in 2026, they will add about 180 jobs.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).