- The expansion of bioconjugation capabilities will provide development and manufacturing capacity for pre-clinical to commercial supply
- 1500m2 of manufacturing space will include two additional production suites in addition to the necessary manufacturing-related infrastructure
- A significant increase of process and analytical development capacity will enable Lonza to offer expertise to a broad customer base
Quote from Iwan Bertholjotti, Director Commercial Development Bioconjugates, Lonza:
“Lonza started to offer CDMO services for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) back in 2006 and we now manufacture the majority of the currently commercially approved ADCs. The field goes beyond ADC's and Lonza has the expertise to support customers bringing a range of different bioconjugates to market. The latest investment in additional bioconjugation development and manufacturing capacity is well aligned with other current investments in monoclonal antibodies and small molecules within the Lonza network. Together they further extend our offer of a reliable and integrated supply solution for an expanding class of innovative therapies.”
Quote from Stefan Egli, Head Business Unit Bioconjugates, Lonza:
“Bioconjugation is used to develop a growing pipeline of complex protein therapeutics such as antibody-drug conjugates. By combining biotechnology and chemical processes, this modality often faces complex development and manufacturing challenges. Expanding our bioconjugation capacity offers highly flexible solutions for a broad range of customers. This approach will allow companies to benefit from our expertise and in-house supply of protein, linker, payload and conjugation as an integrated offering, thus reducing supply chain risks and accelerating the path to commercialization.”
Basel, Switzerland, 21 December 2020 – Lonza today announced an investment to further expand bioconjugation capabilities at its Visp (CH) site. The expansion adds two production suites to the existing conjugation facility providing development and manufacturing infrastructure for clinical and commercial supply. In addition, an extension to laboratory space will double the analytical and process development capacity. The new capacity is expected to be fully operational for customers from the first half of 2022.
The manufacturing extension spans approximately 1500m2 and adds 30% additional capacity for clinical and commercial supply. An additional support building of 5000m2 will provide space for logistics, storage and other supporting infrastructure to ensure an optimal workflow. This highly flexible setup will enable bioconjugation processes using single-use, stainless steel and hybrid concepts.
The bioconjugation capacity expansion complements Lonza's recent expansion of customer-specific suites as part of the Ibex® Dedicate model. In addition, expansions in payload manufacturing capacity and drug product sterile fill and finish will support the increasing development and manufacturing needs for bioconjugates. The continued investments into the Visp (CH) site provide a flexible solution for small, mid and large biopharmaceutical companies interested in scaling their bioconjugates and bringing them to market quickly and with reduced supply chain risks.
Since 2006, Lonza has produced over 600 cGMP batches of bioconjugated products for over 60 different projects. The company's experience in navigating the complex supply chain, developing commercial-scale conjugation and purification processes allows customers to streamline regulatory approvals and meet the growing market demands.