Swiss pharma firm Lonza expands partnership with US client

Lonza is expanding its partnership with a US client Keystone-SDA

Lonza is expanding its collaboration with an American biopharmaceutical company, the identity of which has not been disclosed.

The Basel-based pharmaceutical contract manufacturer is set to commence production for two new biologics programmes, with an option for two further programmes.

The services will be provided from Lonza’s US and European sites, offering geographical flexibility and security of supply, according to the Basel-based group. The expanded collaboration includes long-term commitments across a broad portfolio of multiple biological programmes.

This evolving portfolio of innovative programmes supports demand flexibility and development risk management, with the potential to gradually increase capacity, including the transition to commercial production. The cumulative value of the contracts could reach several billion francs.

In recent years, Lonza has gradually expanded its relationship with this client. Development and manufacturing services under this strategic partnership will be provided from all of the group’s US sites dedicated to the commercial production of biologics, complemented by Lonza’s active ingredient and finished product development and manufacturing capabilities in Europe.

Lonza will also support the US company in optimising manufacturing processes, which will significantly reduce cycle times for certain programmes. Across the entire contract portfolio, Lonza will also provide end-to-end support, including finished product manufacturing and associated services, enabling a seamless transition from the active pharmaceutical ingredient to the final dosage form.

The announcement of this partnership extension was well received by investors. At around 11:40 am on the Swiss Stock Exchange, Lonza’s share price jumped by 2.24% to CHF558 ($687), leading the SMI, while the benchmark index fell by 0.22%.

Translated from German, sub-edited by jdp