Lonza, Bio*One Join to Build Biologics Contract Manufacturing Plant in Singapore

PharmaManufacturing.com
08/16/2005

Switzerland’s Lonza and Singapore’s Bio*One Capital on August 16 announced the signature of a Joint Venture Term Sheet to establish a leading contract manufacturing organization in Singapore for the manufacture of commercial biopharmaceuticals. The plant will include four mammalian bioreactor trains, each with a flexible capacity of 1,000 up to 20,000 litres, inclusive of the respective purification units.

With this project, Lonza aims to strengthen its leading position as a global custom manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals entering the fast-growing Asian market.

The project is a further investment of Bio*One Capital in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. It capitalizes on Singapore's existing strengths in process development and clinical manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals as well as the country's reputable capabilities in GMP manufacturing of bulk actives for global pharmaceutical companies.

The plant will be realized in two phases. Construction of the plant shell in the first phase will commence at the end of 2005. The final build-out of the plant will be completed within 24 months of the completion of the plant shell, in line with customer commitments.

Lonza is a life sciences-driven chemical and biotechnology company, headquartered in Switzerland, which generated sales of CHF 2.18 billion (Swiss francs) in 2004. The firm employs 5,700 people to operate 18 production and R&D sites around the world. Lonza is one of the leading custom manufacturers of chemical intermediates and active ingredients as well as biopharmaceuticals for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. For more information, visit www.lonza.com.

Bio*One Capital Pte Ltd. is a biomedical sciences investment management company in Asia with a worldwide presence. With funds of over US$ 600 million, investments are focused on promising global biomedical companies where Bio*One Capital can play a value-adding role in bridging and supporting companies' growth strategies in Asia through their operations in Singapore. For more information, please visit www.bio1capital.com.