Lonza start commercial operations in newly expanded facility

Facility in Nansa, China, image from Lonza Small Molecules

Lonza Small Molecules adds new capabilities to their expanded facility in China, enabling smoother transitions between small and large scale manufacturing.

The addition of mid-scale manufacturing assets include six 1,000 L reactors, four 1,500 L reactors, and isolation equipment, which will span the gap between early- and late-phase production. The new equipment and more seamless transitions between phases will provide a better service to the customers looking to move through small-scale manufacturing to large scale, all whilst maintaining high standard of quality in line with regulatory standards. 

The site provides an integral part of Lonza’s Small Molecules manufacturing network. The team based in Nansha work for customers around the world, mainly focusing on API development. The facility also works hard to ensure regulatory standards are met throughout the drug development process and all the way through scaling up. The team includes regulatory specialists with experience working to Chinese regulatory standards. 

The developments at the facility have opened up 70 new positions, bringing the numbers of employees to around 330. 

Jan Vertommen, Executive Director, Global Head of Sales, Small Molecules, Lonza commented:
“This mid-scale API manufacturing expansion provides a cost-effective, seamless way to move small molecule compounds to commercial manufacturing according to global quality and regulatory standards. Global pharma and biotech companies are increasingly looking to China for their development and manufacturing needs and - in some cases - for greater access to clinical trials conducted in the region. The expanded capabilities at our Nansha site enable us to continue supporting global customers in developing and manufacturing the next generation of treatments.”