Lonza
A Swiss multinational contract development and manufacturing organization serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nutrition companies.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Lonza Group is a Swiss multinational life-sciences manufacturing and development company headquartered in Basel. Its principal role is to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies develop, scale, manufacture, and test medicines and their associated biological or chemical inputs. Rather than primarily selling finished prescription medicines under its own consumer brand, Lonza operates largely as a business-to-business partner, supplying contract development and manufacturing organization services across small molecules, biologics, cell and gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, and other specialized modalities. It also has capabilities in delivery technologies, analytical and bioscience services, and selected nutrition and health-related ingredients. The company began in 1897 in Gampel, in the Swiss canton of Valais, and took its name from the nearby Lonza River. Its early activities were closely connected with hydroelectric power and industrial chemistry. Lonza moved its main industrial activity to nearby Visp in 1909, where it continues to operate a major site. During the first half of the twentieth century, the company manufactured calcium carbide, calcium cyanamide, nitrogen products, ammonia, fertilizers, and acetylene-derived chemicals. Its portfolio changed as industrial demand evolved: calcium carbide and related products gave way to nitrogen chemistry, petrochemistry, fine chemicals, and eventually biochemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Over time, Lonza shifted from being primarily a commodity and industrial-chemicals producer into a specialized supplier to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The transition was supported by investments in fine chemical synthesis, biologics manufacturing, analytical systems, and advanced therapies. Partnerships and acquisitions expanded its ability to provide integrated development and production services, including for monoclonal antibodies, biosimilars, cell therapies, gene therapies, and antibody-drug conjugates. Lonza was particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic because of its 2020 agreement with Moderna to manufacture the active ingredient of Moderna's mRNA-1273 vaccine. Production of mRNA vaccine bulk material began in 2021 at Lonza sites in Switzerland and the United States. This arrangement made Lonza an important link in the global supply chain for a high-profile vaccine, although the company remained a manufacturing partner rather than the owner or developer of the vaccine. The company maintains an extensive international manufacturing network, reportedly with more than thirty development and production sites across Europe, North America, and Asia. Major locations include Visp in Switzerland, multiple sites in the United States, and operations in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, France, India, China, Japan, and Singapore. Lonza has also expanded through facilities and acquisitions in cell and gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, and biologics production. In 2023, it acquired Synaffix, strengthening its antibody-drug conjugate technology offering; in 2024, it completed the acquisition of Roche's Genentech biologics manufacturing site in Vacaville, California. In 2024, Lonza announced a strategic exit from the capsules and health ingredients businesses, reflecting its intention to focus on core CDMO activities. The company describes its focus as integrated biologics, advanced synthesis, and specialized modalities. This repositioning took place against a backdrop of post-pandemic demand weakness in parts of the pharmaceutical supply market, and was intended to simplify the business and prioritize high-value development and manufacturing services. Lonza remains an active, publicly listed Swiss company whose brand is primarily associated with outsourced pharmaceutical and biotechnology production rather than a consumer-facing product portfolio.
History
Lonza originated in 1897 in Gampel in the Swiss canton of Valais. Its first activities were industrial and chemical, supported by the availability of hydroelectric power in the Alpine region. The company developed electrochemical production capabilities and became associated with a range of chemical products and intermediates. This industrial foundation later provided the engineering, process, and manufacturing expertise that supported its move into higher-value specialty chemicals and healthcare-related production. During the twentieth century, Lonza expanded its manufacturing footprint and broadened its chemical portfolio. It became connected with the broader Swiss chemical industry and, for a period, was associated with Alusuisse. The company subsequently developed as an increasingly independent international group, with activities spanning chemicals, pharmaceutical ingredients, and biotechnology. Its transition toward healthcare was gradual rather than based on a single product launch: investment in regulated manufacturing, analytical science, process control, and quality systems created the capabilities required by pharmaceutical customers. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Lonza increased its presence in pharmaceutical and biotechnology services. It developed capabilities in active pharmaceutical ingredients, biologics, cell culture, and clinical and commercial supply. This evolution reflected a wider change in the pharmaceutical industry, in which drug companies increasingly outsourced development and manufacturing to specialized partners. Lonza positioned itself as a partner able to support several stages of a product's life cycle, from early process development and clinical material to commercial manufacturing. The company expanded through organic investment and acquisitions. Its purchase of Capsugel in 2017 broadened Lonza into capsules and drug-delivery technologies and made the group more diversified across healthcare manufacturing. Lonza also continued to invest in biologics and advanced therapies, including mammalian cell-culture manufacturing, viral-vector technologies, and cell and gene therapy services. These areas require significant capital, specialized facilities, and extensive regulatory controls, making scale and technical credibility important competitive advantages. The COVID-19 pandemic brought Lonza's manufacturing role into unusually high public visibility. In 2020, Moderna selected Lonza as a manufacturing partner for its mRNA-1273 vaccine. Lonza supported production of vaccine drug substance at multiple sites under an arrangement designed to increase global manufacturing capacity. The collaboration illustrated both the value and the difficulty of rapidly scaling a new biopharmaceutical technology: manufacturing lines, quality systems, raw-material supply, technology transfer, and regulatory requirements had to be coordinated at speed. After the pandemic-related expansion, Lonza continued to focus its portfolio on healthcare and contract manufacturing. It announced the sale of its specialty ingredients business in 2021, reducing exposure to activities that were less central to its CDMO strategy. The company has also periodically reviewed its organizational structure and operating model as demand shifted among small molecules, biologics, and emerging modalities. Its strategy has generally emphasized high barriers to entry, long customer relationships, complex manufacturing processes, and capacity that can serve regulated commercial products. In 2024, Lonza announced an agreement to acquire Roche's biologics manufacturing site in Vacaville, California. The proposed transaction would add a large-scale mammalian manufacturing facility and strengthen Lonza's ability to serve commercial biologics programs in North America. During the same period, Wolfgang Wienand became chief executive officer, succeeding Marc Funk. Under its current direction, Lonza remains focused on being a global development and manufacturing partner for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, with principal capabilities across biologics, small molecules, and cell and gene therapies. Its history is therefore best understood as a transformation from a Swiss electrochemical and chemical manufacturer into a specialized global healthcare CDMO.
- 2024
Wolfgang Wienand became chief executive officer
[2]Wolfgang Wienand succeeded Marc Funk as Lonza's chief executive officer.
- 2024
Vacaville biologics site acquisition announced
[3]Lonza agreed to acquire Roche's large-scale biologics manufacturing site in Vacaville, California, subject to transaction completion conditions.
- 2021
Specialty ingredients business divested
[3]Lonza announced the sale of its specialty ingredients business to concentrate more closely on healthcare and CDMO activities.
- 2020
Moderna manufacturing collaboration announced
[3]Lonza entered a major manufacturing collaboration with Moderna for production of mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine drug substance.
- 2017
Capsugel acquisition completed
[3]Lonza completed its acquisition of Capsugel, adding capsule and dosage-form technologies to its healthcare portfolio.
- 1999
Lonza became an independent publicly traded group
[4]Lonza was separated from the broader Alusuisse structure and developed as an independently listed Swiss company.
- 1897
Lonza was established in Valais
[4]Lonza began operations in Gampel, Switzerland, with industrial and electrochemical activities supported by the region's hydroelectric resources.
Products and positioning
Premium, technically specialized global CDMO serving pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Biologics development and manufacturing
Biologics CDMO
Lonza develops and manufactures biologic medicines using mammalian and microbial systems. Services can include cell-line and process development, scale-up, analytical characterization, clinical supply, and commercial production. The offering is designed for customers that need access to regulated facilities and specialized manufacturing expertise without building all capacity internally.
Advanced therapies
Cell and gene therapy services
Lonza provides development and manufacturing support for cell therapies, gene therapies, and viral-vector-based products. The work can cover process development, assay and analytical support, technology transfer, clinical manufacturing, and selected commercial capabilities. These services address products with complex biology, demanding chain-of-custody requirements, and evolving regulatory expectations.
Pharmaceutical ingredients
Small-molecule CDMO
Lonza supports the development and manufacture of small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients and related intermediates. Its capabilities include process research, scale-up, clinical material, commercial production, and handling of technically challenging or highly potent compounds. Customers may use the service for both new chemical entities and established products requiring reliable regulated supply.
Drug products and fill-finish
Drug-product manufacturing
Lonza offers services for converting active ingredients or biologic materials into finished dosage forms. Depending on the program, this can include formulation, sterile processing, fill-finish, packaging, analytical testing, and clinical or commercial supply. The capability links drug-substance manufacturing with later stages of pharmaceutical production.
Drug delivery · 2017
Capsules and dosage-form technologies
Through its former Capsugel activities, Lonza expanded into hard capsules and related dosage-form technologies for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and consumer-health applications. This business broadened the company's healthcare manufacturing portfolio, although Lonza later pursued a more focused strategy centered on its core CDMO activities.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Moderna mRNA-1273 manufacturing collaboration
United States · Europe · Global
Lonza worked with Moderna to establish manufacturing capacity for the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine. The collaboration used Lonza's production network and quality infrastructure to support scale-up of vaccine drug-substance manufacturing during the pandemic.
Outcome. The collaboration increased available manufacturing capacity for Moderna's vaccine and raised Lonza's profile as a partner for rapid deployment of advanced biologics manufacturing.
Brand decisions
2024
Acquire Roche's Vacaville biologics manufacturing siteM&ABackground
Lonza sought additional large-scale mammalian manufacturing capacity in North America to serve commercial biologics customers.
Action taken
Lonza announced an agreement to acquire Roche's Vacaville, California, manufacturing site and related operations, subject to completion conditions.
Aftermath
The proposed acquisition was intended to expand Lonza's commercial biologics network and deepen its presence in the United States.
2021
Divest specialty ingredients activitiesStrategyBackground
Lonza reviewed its portfolio to concentrate capital and management attention on healthcare and contract development and manufacturing.
Action taken
The company announced the sale of its specialty ingredients business.
Aftermath
The divestment simplified the portfolio and reinforced Lonza's identity as a focused healthcare CDMO.
2020
Scale manufacturing for Moderna's mRNA vaccineStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic created urgent demand for manufacturing capacity for Moderna's newly developed mRNA vaccine.
Action taken
Lonza entered a manufacturing collaboration with Moderna and prepared production capacity for vaccine drug substance at Lonza sites.
Aftermath
The collaboration demonstrated Lonza's ability to support rapid technology transfer and large-scale production of an advanced therapeutic platform.
2017
Acquire CapsugelM&ABackground
Lonza sought to broaden its healthcare portfolio with a business specializing in capsules and dosage-form technologies.
Action taken
Lonza completed the acquisition of Capsugel and integrated its activities into the group.
Aftermath
The transaction increased Lonza's exposure to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical delivery products, although the group later moved toward a more focused CDMO portfolio.
Recent events
ExoCordOA consortium launches osteoarthritis therapy project[5]
Reported:
Exogenus Therapeutics-led ExoCordOA announced a five-year Horizon Europe-funded project to advance extracellular vesicle-enriched secretome therapies toward clinical use, initially focusing on osteoarthritis. The ten-member consortium secured $14.4 million to support the work.
Moderna and Lonza announce additional European vaccine production capacity[6]
Reported:
Moderna announced an additional agreement with Lonza to establish a production line at Lonza’s Geleen site in the Netherlands, planned to support an additional 300 million doses per year if the vaccine candidate is authorized.
Altimmune expands AdCOVID manufacturing collaboration with Lonza[7]
Reported:
Altimmune announced an expansion of its manufacturing collaboration with Lonza. Under the expanded agreement, Lonza will commission a dedicated manufacturing suite at its facility near Houston for clinical and commercial production of Altimmune's AdCOVID vaccine candidate.
Synbiotech and Lonza partner to promote TWK10[8]
Reported:
Synbiotech partnered with Lonza to promote its TWK10 probiotic ingredient in the United States, Canada, Europe and Brazil. Lonza will promote the ingredient to brand companies and work on a formula incorporating it with other ingredients.
Moderna and Lonza announce vaccine manufacturing collaboration[9]
Reported:
Moderna and Lonza announced a 10-year collaboration under which Lonza will establish manufacturing sites in the United States and Switzerland for Moderna’s experimental coronavirus vaccine, subject to regulatory approval.
Lonza and DiNAQOR announce gene therapy collaboration[10]
Lonza and DiNAQOR announced a strategic collaboration to advance DiNAQOR's preclinical programs for MYBPC3 cardiomyopathies. Lonza will provide production support for the DiNA-001 program, with product supply handled at its Houston facility.
Sources10 sources
- 1Lonza official websitelonza.com
- 2Lonza leadershiplonza.com
- 3Lonza media releaseslonza.com
- 4Lonza articleen.wikipedia.org
- 5ExoCordOA 联盟启动骨关节炎疗法项目bioxconomy.com
- 6Moderna 与 Lonza 宣布扩大欧洲疫苗原料药产能biospace.com
- 7Altimmune扩大与Lonza的AdCOVID生产合作biobuzz.io
- 8Synbiotech 与 Lonza 合作推广 TWK10nutraingredients.com
- 9Moderna与Lonza宣布疫苗生产合作bostonglobe.com
- 10Lonza与DiNAQOR宣布基因治疗合作biospectrumindia.com
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