Swiss fine and specialty chemical producer Lonza is building up its capabilities for drug development and manufacturing services to meet customers’ clinical outsourcing needs.

The focus will be on parenteral dosage forms, including products for injection and infusion for intravenous, subcutaneous, intraocular and other administering routes. Options will be included for monoclonal antibodies, other biologics, drug conjugates, peptides and small molecules.

The drug product services will be offered in the fourth quarter of this year from laboratories in Basel, Switzerland, and will initially center on formulation and analytical development, and quality control. Manufacturing capabilities for preclinical and clinical use will be available in late 2016.

Specialized services will also be available including: particulate identification, characterization and quantification; excipient and surfactant characterization; assessment of extractables and leachables; and testing of container closure integrity.

Marc Funk, Lonza’s chief operating officer, called the portfolio expansion an important step in becoming a one-stop-shop for all clinical outsourcing requirements.

Hanns-Christian Mahler will head the drug product business. Mahler led the departments of pharmaceutical development & supplies and formulation R&D biologics at Swiss drugmaker Roche for 10 years.