Lonza expands HPAPI production capacity in Visp

Published: 14-Jun-2019

This expansion in Switzerland will add two 4 m3-scale, multi-purpose production lines for HPAPI manufacturing

Lonza has announced an investment in a major expansion of HPAPI manufacturing capacity at its Visp, Switzerland site. The new facility will support the long-term manufacturing agreement Lonza recently made with AstraZeneca to deliver a number of products from across the pharma giant's portfolio. The remaining capacity will then allow Lonza to expand the offer to other clients.

This expansion will add two 4 m3-scale, multi-purpose production lines for HPAPI manufacturing. This will complement Lonza’s existing range of production capacities from lab to large commercial scale.

The CDMO partner to the biopharma industry has major HPAPI development and manufacturing capabilities at the Visp location, complemented by particle engineering and specialised finished drug products for oral and parenteral delivery applications.

A subsequent capacity optimisation will also improve Lonza’s flexibility in existing production lines, supporting shorter time-to-market and accelerated approval timelines for partners.

Oncology continues as the leading indication in biopharma and we will continue to invest to meet the HPAPI development and manufacturing needs

“We are delighted to support one of our strategic partners in securing supply of innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer patients,” said Lee Newton, VP and API Business Unit Head at Lonza Pharma & Biotech. “Oncology continues as the leading indication in biopharma and we will continue to invest to meet the HPAPI development and manufacturing needs of our customers.”

Lonza is an established partner in developing and manufacturing HPAPI, with more than 20 years’ experience in safely progressing more than 30 products from early-stage work to late-stage clinical or commercialisation.

The Swiss company has the capabilities in place to safely handle HPAPIs to exposure levels up to 100 ng/m3 across all manufacturing scales.

With recent acquisitions, Lonza has also added particle engineering (micronisation and spray drying) for improving bioavailability and final drug product formulation under full containment. Additionally, specialised oral dosage forms (soft gels and liquid-filled hard capsules) for solid oral low-dose/HPAPI applications have augmented the company’s fill and finish drug product capabilities.

“We listen to our customers and understand that needs vary more than ever in the biopharma space,” said Gordon Bates, President Chemical Division at Lonza Pharma & Biotech. “We have invested accordingly in both technology and scale to ensure that we enable our customers to bring new medicines to patients faster. Our creative suite of tailored business models are also key in partnering for success.”

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