The CDMO operation was not the main attraction when Arxada was formed but has turned out to be one of the most promising. Andrew Warmington met Olivier Lambrechts, president of the NCE business
When a company is newly formed, it can take time for the owners and managers to work out exactly what they have – and which part will be the most valuable. Arxada is a case in point.
Lonza has extended two ongoing collaborations with unnamed major biopharmaceutical companies. One covers the commercial-scale filling of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), the other bioconjugation. Financial details were not disclosed in either case.
As part of the former partnership, Lonza will build a dedicated line at its site in Stein, Switzerland, for the aseptic filling of highly potent ADCs and lyophilisation under containment. The new line is expected to be operational in 2027 and to create about 115 new jobs at peak capacity.
Lonza is to expand its Early Development Services (EDS) offering into North America with a new, laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Covering nearly 1,600 m2, this will begin operations in May. No details were given on the expenditure involved.
Like the company’s other EDS lab in Cambridge, UK, the new lab will offer early in silico non-GMP protein expression and in vitro immunosafety assessment services. These will mainly be delivered to the preclinical stage small- to mid-sized biotechs around the Boston area.
Lonza has completed the expansion of a multi-purpose. kilogram-scale HPAPI manufacturing suite at its main site in Visp, Switzerland. This adds development and manufacturing capacity for ADC payloads, “supporting the entire development and manufacturing pipeline from feasibility studies to commercial supply”.
Lonza has completed the carve-out of its Lonza Specialty Ingredients, as announced in February. The business, temporarily known as LSI, will be relaunched shortly under a different name. It is now owned by Herens HoldCo, an entity controlled by private equity firms Bain Capital and Cinven, who acquired it for an enterprise value of CHF 4.2 billion.
Lonza its to expand its two-year collaboration with Moderna to manufacture the drug substance for Moderna’ COVID-19 vaccine. This will lead to further expansion at its main site in Visp, Switzerland, as will another small molecule complex, which includes a dedicated line for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for an unnamed customer.
Following a long period of speculation, Lonza has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Lonza Specialty Ingredients (LSI) business to private equity firms Bain Capital and Cinven for CHF 4.2 billion in order to focus entirely on healthcare. The deal is expected to close in 2H, subject to customary closing conditions.
