Lonza purchases Roche's US commercial biologics manufacturing site
Lonza has acquired a significant biologics manufacturing site for mammalian cell-based therapeutics
On March 20, 2024, Lonza revealed its plans to acquire Roche's Vacaville, Calif., site. This site is known for its large-scale biologics manufacturing and the acquisition is valued at $1.2 billion. In addition to the acquisition, Lonza has announced a significant investment of approximately CHF 500 million (US$557 million) to upgrade the facility and improve its capabilities for the production of advanced mammalian biologics.
The anticipated timeline for the deal's completion is the second half of 2024, pending the fulfillment of customary closing conditions. The Vacaville site will become part of Lonza's Biologics division and will join Lonza's network of mammalian manufacturing sites in Visp, Switzerland; Slough, United Kingdom; Tuas, Singapore; Portsmouth, NH; and Porriño, Spain.
The Vacaville site is an incredibly valuable acquisition that will provide immediate capacity for our customers and open up opportunities for future growth in our Biologics division. It will help them offer a clear path for commercialization to their current customers and expand their commercial capacity for our partners.
Lonza plans to gradually take over the production of the products currently made by Roche at the Vacaville site. This transition will allow Lonza to cater to different customers in the future. Lonza's recent acquisition of Vacaville will greatly enhance its large-scale biologics manufacturing capacity. This expansion will enable Lonza to effectively meet the demand for commercial mammalian contract manufacturing from customers who already have commercial products. The facility will also support molecules within Lonza's network that are currently on the path to commercialization.
According to the Lonza company press release, the facility is one of the largest biologics manufacturing sites in the world by volume. Due to the anticipated approvals for innovative new therapies, the demand for commercial-scale capacity for biologics is expected to remain high in the contract development and manufacturing organization industry. With this acquisition, Lonza is now able to provide immediate access to substantial new capacity in the United States. In addition, this move establishes a substantial commercial manufacturing presence on the West Coast, which nicely complements Lonza's current biologics site on the East Coast in Portsmouth, NH. In addition to Lonza's manufacturing network in Europe and Asia, the US sites also serve as valuable complements.
Source: Lonza
