Lonza, a global manufacturing partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutraceutical markets, recently announced the extension of a collaboration with a major biopharmaceutical partner for the commercial-scale filling of  ADCs.

 

Under the terms of the agreement, Lonza will construct a dedicated commercial-scale aseptic cGMP filling line at its Stein (CH) site. The new dedicated filling line will enable the aseptic filling of highly-potent ADCs and lyophilization under containment. The additional filling capabilities further strengthen Lonza's capacity and flexibility in supporting both clinical and commercial supply of bioconjugates.

 

The extended customer agreement builds upon a successful multi-year relationship spanning the manufacturing of highly-potent payloads, drug-linker and conjugation services, and the large-scale supply of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The filling line is expected to be operational in 2027 and is anticipated to create approximately 115 new jobs at peak capacity.

 

The additional filling line in Stein (CH) marks another milestone in the growth of Lonza’s leading Drug Product Services (DPS) offering. It follows the recent completion of a filling line in Visp (CH) and the groundbreaking of a large-scale commercial filling facility in Stein (CH), delivered by an investment of approximately CHF 500 million.

 

Peter Droc, Head of Drug Product Services, Lonza, added: "The new dedicated cGMP commercial line in Stein (CH) will complement Lonza's global manufacturing network and will further strengthen our capabilities within Drug Product Services, encompassing drug product formulation and analytical development, and early-launch, clinical filling and commercial filling."

 

The value of the total bioconjugates market is currently USD 33 billion, of which the ADC market is valued at USD 10 billion. The ADC market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% between 2023 and 2028. As a leading CDMO for bioconjugates, Lonza has produced over 1,000 cGMP batches for more than 70 programs since 2006. Lonza offers customers an integrated solution, including the technologies required to deliver bioconjugate products, and an end-to-end manufacturing offering spanning drug substance and drug product development, manufacturing and filling.