Lonza Expands its Microbial Manufacturing Facility in Switzerland

On August 4, 2020, Lonza announced it is expanding its microbial manufacturing facility in Visp, Switzerland, to meet the needs of its extended partnership with Servier, an independent international pharmaceutical company.

According to a Lonza press release, the expansion will involve using the facilities’ existing central utilities and labs to supplement its small-scale and large-scale assets. The updated facility is set to be operational in the second half of 2022 and Lonza will add 100 new staff members to its microbial team.

“By building on our current microbial capabilities, we will be able to continue our long-standing support for Servier as they look to expand access for patients,” said Jean-Christoph Hyvert, chief commercial officer, Lonza, in the press release. “We see a clear role for microbial technology as new medicines evolve and we are investing in key enablers, including expression technology and manufacturing assets.”

Since 2009, Lonza has produced Servier’s anti-cancer chemotherapy drug, L-asparaginase. The extension of the companies’ long-standing partnership will now give Servier the additional capacity needed to provide treatment to more patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the press release said.

"We are extremely pleased to already have been collaborating with Lonza for the production of L-asparaginase, the active pharmaceutical ingredient for our ALL therapeutic regimens, allowing us to quickly provide for patients we serve,” said Pierre Venesque, executive vice-president, Industry, Servier, in the press release. “Lonza’s drug manufacturing experience [and] infrastructure is important to this partnership and ensures the timely supply of these therapeutics.”

Source: Lonza