CDMO giant Lonza plans to spend $518 million on a new large-scale, fill-finish manufacturing plant in Stein, Switzerland.
The facility, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will adopt sustainable construction designs to reduce carbon emissions, the company said.
The project will mark the completion of Lonza’s goal to offer integrated end-to-end CDMO services, Lonza added. The facility will be located on the same campus as the company’s current clinical drug product facility in Stein.
“This strategic investment completes our offering in drug product and strengthens our position as a leading CDMO with an unparalleled breadth of offerings across scales and technologies,” Pierre-Alain Ruffieux, Lonza’s chief executive, said in a statement.
In additional company news, Lonza named Maria Soler Nunez as the new head of group operations effective Aug. 1. Soler Nunez succeeds Stefan Stoffel and will join the Lonza executive committee. Prior to joining Lonza, Soler Nunez was Novartis’ chief quality officer.
Like many CDMOs, Lonza has been on an expansion run the past few years. In March, the company completed a laboratory expansion project at its API manufacturing facility in Nansha, China. Last August, Lonza announced the addition of a fill-finish line at its Guangzhou, China, facility that had only opened its doors earlier in the year. The company also has a facility in Suzhou, China, which provides drug capsules and microbial control solutions.
In May last year, Lonza announced it would shell out $935 million to build mammalian facilities at sites in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Visp, Switzerland.