Lonza has entered a definitive agreement to purchase five US contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) sites from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
The acquisition involves a total enterprise valuation in the low- to mid-triple-digit millions of Swiss francs.
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It would expand Lonza’s US manufacturing presence from four to nine sites and bring 1,100 employees into its global workforce, raising its headcount to more than 6,000.
Closing is expected around mid-2027, subject to customary conditions.
The five facilities cover a range of pharmaceutical technologies. The St Louis-based site focuses on bioconjugates, while two locations in Madison and Verona, Wisconsin, produce high-potency payload-linkers.
A facility in Carlsbad, California, provides end-to-end viral vector solutions, comprising aseptic fill-finish capabilities. The site at Indianapolis, Indiana, handles lipid nanoparticle, liposome, and PEGylated protein solutions, also with aseptic fill-finish capacity.
Lonza CEO Wolfgang Wienand said: “This acquisition is a strong fit with our One Lonza Strategy and reflects our disciplined approach to capital allocation, investing in opportunities that will drive long-term, profitable growth and deliver attractive returns.
“With high demand for bioconjugates and viral vectors, the acquired sites will strengthen our ability to support customers from innovation to launch and commercial supply.”
Lonza said the acquired network supports customers from clinical-stage through to commercial manufacturing in areas including antibody-drug conjugates, other bioconjugates, viral vectors for cell and gene therapies, and latest drug-delivery technologies.
For full-year 2028, the sites are expected to contribute around SFr250m ($304m) in sales at a core earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin below Lonza’s group level.
Lonza will pay the consideration in cash, funded through cash at hand and existing credit facilities.
The acquisition follows other recent US investments by Lonza, including ongoing work to prepare its Vacaville site for CDMO operations and a recently announced commercial spray-drying facility in Bend, Oregon.
Until the deal concludes, the businesses will continue to run independently. Both parties said they would work together to support a smooth transition.
In April 2025, Ethris partnered with Lonza for the development of room-temperature stable mRNA vaccine candidates targeting respiratory conditions.
