Global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza has announced a major expansion of its highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredient (HPAPI) and payload-linker manufacturing capabilities at its Visp, Switzerland facility. The investment aims to strengthen the company's integrated support for the rapidly growing antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) market.
The expansion will introduce new commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities for highly complex HPAPIs and ADC payload-linkers within Lonza's existing GMP infrastructure. The project also includes additional payload-linker production and purification facilities, along with dedicated analytical and process development laboratories to support increasingly sophisticated ADC manufacturing requirements.
According to the company, the upgraded facility has been designed for flexible, multipurpose manufacturing and future scale-out, allowing additional production suites to be added as customer demand increases. The new infrastructure will be closely integrated with Lonza's existing ADC ecosystem in Visp and Stein, which already provides monoclonal antibody manufacturing, bioconjugation, drug product manufacturing, and specialized quality control services.
The expanded manufacturing capacity is expected to become operational in 2028 and will support both clinical-stage and commercial ADC programs, helping pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies accelerate the development and commercialization of targeted cancer therapies.
Christian Seufert, Head of Advanced Synthesis at Lonza, stated that the rapid growth of the ADC market is driving demand for increasingly complex payload-linkers requiring advanced manufacturing technologies. He noted that the investment reinforces Lonza's commitment to expanding its integrated ADC offering and supporting customers from early development through commercial supply.
The announcement reflects the industry's continued focus on expanding specialized manufacturing capacity as antibody-drug conjugates emerge as one of the fastest-growing segments in oncology and targeted therapeutics.
