Lonza To Boost Cytotoxic Capacity

Lonza will invest $27 million to expand cytotoxic manufacturing capabilities at its fine chemicals plant in Visp, Switzerland. The expansion will add multikilogram-scale production of cytotoxic active pharmaceutical ingredients to a high-potency facility that now manufactures APIs to current Good Manufacturing Practice standards on a gram scale. Stefan Stoffel, head of Lonza’s chemical manufacturing business unit, says the project will establish integrated manufacturing and development capabilities spanning technologies including highly active APIs, cytotoxics, peptides, and antibody-drug conjugates. Cytotoxic APIs, typically used in oncology drugs, are among the fastest-growing segments in drug chemical ingredients, according to Lonza.