Lonza invests $27.5 million to expand cytotoxic manufacturing to serve growing oncology API market

Switzerland-based Lonza (SIX: LONN) plans to invest 24 million Swiss francs ($27.5 million) to expand cytotoxic manufacturing capabilities in Visp, Switzerland. Cytotoxic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are commonly used in oncology therapeutics, which represent one of the fastest growing segments of the pharma and biotech industry, the company - a leading supplier to the pharmaceutical, health care and life science industries - notes.

Lonza currently operates high potency GMP laboratory suites on gram-scale. The investment will add multi-kilogram scale cytotoxic production capacity which enables Lonza to offer clinical and commercial production of cytotoxics – all within one dedicated facility. These enhanced fermentation and chemical capabilities, along with existing bioconjugation expertise, will help Lonza to comprehensively address its customers cytotoxic manufacturing challenges.

“This investment speeds our efforts to establish the Lonza Visp site as a Center of Excellence for High Potency Manufacturing,” said Stefan Stoffel, head of Lonza’s Chemical Manufacturing Business Unit. “With the anticipated expansion to be completed in the second quarter of 2012, Lonza Visp will offer a fully integrated end-to-end development and manufacturing solution for a wide-range of technologies, including highly active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPIs), cytotoxics, peptides and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs),” he added.