With the global market for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) poised for strong growth, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) like Lonza are increasing their investments in infrastructure to support the complex, multi-step production process required to make these precision biologics — including a targeting monoclonal antibody, potent cytotoxic payload, and linker.

Lonza’s campus in Visp, Switzerland, the company’s largest site, is designed as an integrated end-to-end ADC manufacturing network to better serve its customers and their increasingly complex molecules with connected capabilities across multiple platforms.

Visp, located in southwest Switzerland, has emerged as the epicenter of Lonza’s ADC offerings — development through commercial supply — and is the only Lonza site that provides an integrated ecosystem supporting antibody production, payload manufacturing, and bioconjugation.

“In Visp, we have all three platforms” beginning with the antibody and moving through payload manufacturing and bioconjugation, said Renzo Cicillini, site head.

Over 20 years, Lonza’s ADC capabilities in Visp have grown from dedicated bioconjugation — services first introduced in 2006 in which the antibody and payload are linked — to integrated development and manufacturing, combining drug substance, drug product, and bioconjugation. Large-scale mammalian manufacturing capabilities have been added to create the antibody, while specialized payload-linker production capabilities — supported by high-containment operations, advanced synthesis, purificaton and analytical control — produce the potent component of the ADCs.  

Visp’s expansion in capabilities over the last two decades connects to Lonza’s broader ADC production network, which includes monoclonal antibody manufacturing and conjugation capabilities in Visp and drug product manufacturing at its Stein, Switzerland facility.

At Visp, Lonza provides a one-stop shop for ADCs, according to Raphael Frey, director of commercial development for bioconjugates, who noted market research indicating more than 70% of ADC manufacturing is expected to be outsourced over the next five years.

“Developing and manufacturing an ADC is rather complex because you have to bring together experience in the biological world and the chemical world,” Frey said. “We are a pioneer in the CDMO industry and we have a long history of firsts at Lonza, and with ADCs we have added another chapter to that history.” 

Frey acknowledged that Lonza isn’t the only CDMO to provide in-house, integrated ADC supply chain capabilities, but he added that the company is “among the few that offer a true integration because we can handle everything” at the Visp site potentially. 

“That’s still quite unique,” Frey said. “We can equip our customers with everything that is needed for the full end-to-end journey.”

While Big Pharma customers remain an important segment of Lonza’s ADC customers leveraging the Visp site, Frey said more than half of its clients are small- to mid-sized biotechnology companies which are driving innovation in the sector.    

ADC investments grow

Lonza has made investments to provide its customers with a range of ADC offerings in recent years, including the expansion of bioconjugation at its Visp site with two additional manufacturing suites.

In June 2026, the company announced plans to expand payload-linker manufacturing capacity in Visp to support growing demand for ADC components. The investment will add payload-linker production and purification capabilities within an existing GMP facility, alongside dedicated analytical and process development laboratories.

Lonza’s Visp facility is designed for multipurpose use and scale-out, enabling flexible production of a broad range of highly potent payload-linker molecules with the option to add additional suites as demand grows.

“In Visp, we are building a set of multipurpose, highly potent payload linker suites, which are scheduled to commence ramp up in 2029,” Lonza CEO Wolfgang Wienand told analysts in a July earnings call. “We continue to see strong customer demand in this area, supporting our confidence in the long-term opportunity for this investment.”   

At its Stein facility, Lonza is expanding its commercial-scale aseptic ADC drug product capacity. In 2023, the CDMO announced the extension of a collaboration with a “major biopharma partner” for the commercial-scale filling of ADCs.

Under the terms of that agreement, Lonza is constructing a dedicated filling line in Stein. In July 2026, Lonza announced plans to build another commercial-scale, multi-purpose fill and finish line for ADCs at the facility, which is expected to be operational in 2030.

Wienand contends the investments in the Stein and Visp sites — both projects will reach peak sales by the mid-2030s at the latest — support the continued expansion of Lonza’s integrated offering, as customers are looking for a single CDMO partner that can support their programs from early-stage clinical development through to large-scale commercial supply and from drug substance to drug product.

Lonza is hoping that customers will find this centralized manufacturing model attractive as it reduces supply chain complexity and associated inefficiencies and risks.

“This end-to-end capability is further evolving as another key differentiator for Lonza and positions us strongly to support antibodies, bispecifics, and ADCs and other bioconjugates throughout their life cycle,” Wienand said.