The extended agreement, Lonza said, will expand the dedicated bioconjugation footprint for the customer through the construction of a new bioconjugation suite at the company’s Ibex Biopark in Visp, Switzerland. In addition, Lonza will provide commercial-scale monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacturing services for a new ADC therapy.

ADCs are bioconjugates that usually combine a targeting antibody with a highly-potent payload using a linker molecule.

The new Visp bioconjugation suite will occupy approximately 800 m² of manufacturing space and support the manufacture, handling, and containment of highly potent modalities. The new suite, which will generate approximately 100 new jobs, is expected to be operational in 2027. According to Lonza, its relationship with the customer, already consists of an integrated supply of the highly potent payload, drug-linker, commercial mAb manufacturing, conjugation services, and drug product filling for the ADC molecule targeting hard-to-treat cancers.

The collaboration has also been extended to include long-term manufacturing services for a new ADC targeting solid tumors. Under the terms of the new agreement, Lonza will manufacture the mAb at its biologics facility in Porriño, Spain, occupying a majority of the site’s manufacturing capacity. The ADC will then be conjugated in the new dedicated large-scale bioconjugation suites in Visp, Lonza explained.

Christian Morello, vice president and head of Bioconjugates at Lonza, commented: “The relationship with our valued partner has evolved over the years to incorporate all stages of bioconjugate manufacturing and commercialization. Offering end-to-end ADC manufacturing services eliminates supply chain complexities and streamlines product delivery at scale.”

Jean-Christophe Hyvert, president of Lonza’s Biologics division, added: “Bioconjugates represent an exciting modality poised for substantial growth in the coming years driven by market demand, increased therapeutic efficacy, and access to novel disease targets.”