Lonza has announced completion of a planned expansion to its Solid Form Services (SFS) offering for small molecule drugs.
The expanded facility in Bend, Oregon (US) became fully operational in Q4 2022, enhancing Lonza's capabilities in meeting accelerated timelines for increasingly complex molecules.
The expanded facility includes remodelled and dedicated laboratory space which is primarily being used to support biotech and midsize pharma companies in developing early-stage compounds. It can support all aspects of solid form screening and characterisation of small molecule APIs, alongside selection and early crystallisation process development. Effective screening and selection are critical for early-stage and late-stage development to reduce risk and strengthen intellectual property claims.
This offering is fully integrated with our upstream drug substance, and downstream drug formulation and drug product development capabilities
Michael Morgen, Head of Advanced Drug Delivery Technologies, Small Molecules, Lonza commented: “With the completion of this expansion at our Bend site, we have successfully established a collaborative, deeply science-based Solid Form Services offering to support customers in advancing compounds to the clinic and beyond. This offering is fully integrated with our upstream drug substance, and downstream drug formulation and drug product development capabilities. We are seeing strong interest from our growing customer portfolio, with many customers bringing multiple compounds and projects to the facility.”
The facility is equipped with powder and fume hoods and small scale crystallisation systems, and a full suite of spectroscopic, thermal and other techniques are available in the new and existing adjacent spaces. This includes Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high performance liquid chromatography, dynamic vapour sorption; thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, powder x-ray diffraction, solid state and liquid NMR, gas chromatography, and polarised light microscopy.
The specialist team at the facility shares extensive experience in mapping solid form landscapes and selecting and developing salts and polymorphs, augmenting decades of expertise in the adjacent upstream drug substance and downstream drug product areas. Customers utilising the enhanced SFS offering can benefit from integration with complementary capabilities across Lonza’s global network - including drug substance in Nansha (CN) and Visp (CH), formulation and dosage form in Bend and Tampa (US), and micronisation in Monteggio (IT).
