Lonza Expands Conjugation Facility in Visp

Lonza is investing 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 lab space will double the analytical and process development capacity. The new capacity is expected to be fully operational for customers from 1H22.

The 1500m2 expansion 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. 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.

Iwan Bertholjotti, Director Commercial Development Bioconjugates, Lonza, said, “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.”