Lonza to buy US biologics site from Roche for US$1.2 billion
Swiss contract drug manufacturer Lonza said on Wednesday (Mar 20) it signed an agreement to acquire the Genentech manufacturing facility in Vacaville, California, from drugmaker Roche for US$1.2 billion in cash.
Lonza plans to invest around 500 million Swiss francs (US$754.8 million) to upgrade the facility and enhance capabilities at the site to accommodate the next generation of mammalian biologics therapies, the company said in a statement.
The Vacaville facility currently has a total bioreactor capacity of around 330,000 litres, making it one of the largest biologics manufacturing sites worldwide by volume, Lonza said.
“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,” Jean-Christophe Hyvert, president of Biologics at Lonza, said in the statement.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.
Basel-based Lonza also raised its 2024 to 2028 sales target to a range of 12 to 15 per cent compound annual growth rate, from its 11 to 13 per cent growth estimate previously.
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Under the deal, the about 750 Genentech employees at the facility will be offered employment by Lonza, and the products currently produced at the site by Roche will continue to be supplied by Lonza for a transition period, Roche said.
Susanne Hundsbaek-Pedersen, global head of pharma technical operations at Roche, said the sale of the facility was part of a long-term network strategy and optimisation plan, to deliver a “more diversified portfolio including new drug modalities”. Reuters
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Consumer & Healthcare
Billionaire Geiger is said to near US$7 billion L’Occitane buyout
HCA beats first-quarter profit estimates on higher patient admissions
US FDA approves Pfizer’s gene therapy for rare bleeding disorder
EU toughens rules on Chinese fashion retailer Shein
Best World under fire from shareholders at AGM over dividends, director salaries
‘Extreme’ climate blamed for world’s worst wine harvest in 62 years