Swiss contract manufacturer Lonza has agreed to acquire the Genentech large-scale biologics manufacturing facility in Vacaville, California, US, from Roche in a $1.2bn deal.
The strategic move is set to bolster Lonza’s capacity for large-scale biologics manufacturing.
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The site has a bioreactor capacity of 330,000 litres – one of the world’s largest by volume.
The acquisition aims to meet the rising demand for commercial mammalian contract manufacturing, catering to customers with products already in the market and those with molecules advancing towards commercialisation within Lonza’s network.
750 Genentech employees at the site will become part of Lonza.
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The deal will provide Lonza’s customers with rapid access to substantial new capacity in the US. It will establish a significant West Coast commercial manufacturing presence for Lonza, complementing its East Coast site in Portsmouth and its international network spanning Europe and Asia.
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By GlobalDataLonza intends to invest SFr500m ($562.2m) to renovate the Vacaville site and bolster its capabilities to produce mammalian biologics therapies.
Roche-manufactured products at the facility will be distributed by Lonza, with committed volumes over the medium term, gradually transitioning to serve other customers.
The deal will conclude in the second half of 2024.
The Vacaville facility will be merged into Lonza’s biologics division, joining its network of mammalian manufacturing units in Visp, Slough, Singapore, Portsmouth and Porriño.
Lonza Biologics president Jean-Christophe Hyvert stated: “The Vacaville site is a highly valuable strategic acquisition that will make capacity immediately available for our customers and unlock future growth for our biologics division.
“It will support us in providing a commercialisation path to existing customers and incremental large-scale commercial capacity to our partners. We have deep and long-standing industrial expertise in delivering commercial scale manufacturing services for our customers’ therapies.”
In June 2023, Lonza boosted its antibody-drug conjugates offering with the acquisition of Dutch company Synaffix for $172m.
