February 16, 2016
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
PORTSMOUTH, N. H. – Planned capital projects totaling more than $200 million at the Portsmouth facilities of Swiss-based Lonza Biologics could result in the company adding on more than 400 new jobs, Seacoast Online reported this morning.
Lonza, a contract manufacturing organizations, employs approximately 625 people at the Portsmouth site. The site is used as a “custom manufacturer of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins using mammalian cell culture for mammalian biopharmaceutical,” according to information on Lonza’s website. In a letter to Portsmouth officials, Michael Pelletier, Lonza’s site manager, said the planned expansion could reach up to $300 million in “growth investment.”
The planned expansion has not yet been approved by Portsmouth leaders. Due to the size of the investment Lonza is seeking a reduction of its permit fees from roughly $5 million to slightly more than $1 million, Seacoast Online reported.
Lonza’s planned expansion is coming on the heels strong 2015 revenues, which was good news for the company after it went through a restructuring process just a few years ago. During that restructuring, Lonza terminated 200 positions at its microbial biologics plant in Hopkinton, Mass., as part of a consolidation of multiple facilities into one at the company’s Visp, Switzerland facility.
Those strong sales over 2015 have resulted in Lonza striking several deals that should foster even more growth for the company. Earlier this month, Lonza struck a deal with startup Kodiak Sciences, Inc. to manufacture the clinical supply of Kodiak’s therapeutic candidates. Kodiak is developing therapies for Retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Also this month, Lonza struck a deal with Renova Therapeutics to manufacture the clinical supply for that company’s RT-100 gene therapy for the treatment of congestive heart failure.
In addition to manufacturing clinical therapies for other companies, Lonza announced in February that it was planning to offer its customers a “complete portfolio of development and manufacturing services for clinical outsourcing requirements by entering into Drug Product Services.” These drug product services will focus on parenteral dosage forms, including products for injection and infusion for intravenous, subcutaneous, intraocular and other routes of parenteral administration. Services will include options for monoclonal antibodies, other biologics, drug conjugates, peptides and small molecules that require a parenteral dosage form, the company said in a statement.
Lonza offers services and products ranging from active pharmaceutical ingredients and stem-cell therapies to drinking water sanitizers, from the vitamin B compounds and organic personal care ingredients to agricultural products, and from industrial preservatives to microbial control solutions that combat dangerous viruses, bacteria and other pathogens, according to information on its website.
