Lonza Group saw its shares move higher on Wednesday after the Swiss contract drug maker disclosed an expanded strategic collaboration with a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company that the company says could translate into a cumulative multi-billion Swiss franc contract value. The stock reaction followed a separate disclosure the prior day that Lonza plans to expand payload-linker manufacturing capacity in Switzerland.
The broadened partnership introduces two biologics programs that will move into commercial production, with contractual options to add two additional programs. The extension deepens an existing multi-year relationship and locks in long-term commitments across multiple biologics programs, Lonza said.
Operationally, the development and manufacturing activities tied to the newly expanded collaboration will be carried out across Lonza’s U.S. commercial-scale biologics sites. These U.S. operations will be supported by the company’s drug substance and drug product development and manufacturing capabilities in Europe. Lonza described the arrangement as a multi-site agreement aimed at delivering geographic flexibility, supply security and specialized manufacturing capabilities.
As part of the engagement, Lonza will apply its mammalian antibody technologies, specifically citing N-1 perfusion, and will implement manufacturing process optimizations designed to shorten cycle times on selected programs. The company also confirmed it will supply drug product manufacturing and related services as part of the scope.
"This strategic collaboration demonstrates Lonza’s role as a trusted manufacturing partner for large biopharmaceutical companies," Gordon Bates, head of Integrated Biologics at Lonza, said.
In a separate announcement on June 30, Lonza outlined plans to increase payload-linker manufacturing capacity at its Visp, Switzerland, site to support the antibody-drug conjugate market. The planned investment will add commercial-scale capacity for highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients and antibody-drug conjugate payload-linker molecules within an existing good manufacturing practice facility.
The Visp expansion will include dedicated analytical and process development laboratories and is intended to support both clinical and commercial programs. Lonza expects the facility to become operational in 2028, according to the company’s statement.
"The rapid growth of the ADC market is driving increasing demand for highly complex payload-linkers that require advanced manufacturing capabilities," Christian Seufert, head of Advanced Synthesis at Lonza, said.
Lonza said the new manufacturing capacity in Visp will be integrated with its current antibody-drug conjugate manufacturing network in Visp and Stein, Switzerland. That integrated network already comprises monoclonal antibody manufacturing, conjugation, drug product manufacturing and quality control capabilities.
The combined announcements - the expanded U.S. biologics collaboration and the Visp capacity build-out - underline Lonza’s continued focus on scaling capabilities for complex biologics and ADCs while leveraging cross-border site networks to serve commercial customers.
Market note: Lonza’s shares (LONN) rose by more than 2% on the news.