Lonza plans China biologics facility

Lonza Pharma & Biotech has concluded an agreement, under which GE Healthcare will deliver an off-the-shelf biologics facility to it in Guangzhou, China, by 2020. The company said that the new facility would give it “a strategic base in China to respond to growing demand for high-quality CDMO services in the country”.

The 17,000 m2 site will include 6,500 m2 of lab space for Lonza’s proprietary cell-line construction, including the GS gene expression system, process development, cell banking and pilot labs. It will also house a KUBio unit for small-scale GMP manufacturing of antibodies, equipped with GE’s single-use biomanufacturing technologies, including 1,000 and 2,000 litre bioreactors, plus Lonza’s automation platforms for clinical and early commercial supply

This is all part of a wider initiative between GE Healthcare and the Guangzhou Development District (GDD) to develop further the large-scale manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals in China. Lonza has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the GDD to take the project forward.

Lonza Pharma & Biotech now has a global biologics network offering development and manufacturing at every stage. This includes small-, mid- and large-scale assets in Switzerland, the US, the UK, Spain and Singapore. The Chinese facility will have about 160 employees.