bluebird bio in deal with Lonza to manufacture Lenti-D and LentiGlobin

Swiss viral gene and cell therapy contract manufacturer Lonza and US clinical stage biotech firm bluebird bio (Nasdaq: BLUE) have entered into a strategic manufacturing agreement providing for the future commercial production of bluebird bio’s Lenti-D and LentiGlobin drug products.

This agreement follows a successful multi-year clinical manufacturing relationship and provides bluebird bio with a path to commercial supply including dedicated production suites within the US unit of Lonza’s state-of-the-art facility. This facility is currently under construction, for the clinical and commercial supply of viral vectors and virally-modified cell therapy products.

Under this multi-year agreement, Lonza will complete the suite design, construction and validation along with process validation prior to anticipated commercial launch. Commerical terms of the accord were not revealed.