Lonza announced an expansion of its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing capacity at its site in Visp, Switzerland. According to a company press release, Lonza will invest CHF 14 million ($15.1 million) to double the existing large-scale manufacturing capacity in Visp.  The company expects the expansion to be completed in the second quarter of 2014, and says there is the potential to add jobs at the site.

Facilities that manufacture ADCs must be equipped to handle both biologics and high-potency, small-molecule APIs.  Lonza began investing in ADC manufacturing suites and associated R&D and quality-control laboratories in 2006.

“We have witnessed significant growth in the ADC market in the past 24 months and this investment is necessary to continue to support the growing product demands from our customers” said Stefan Stoffel, head of Lonza’s chemical manufacturing business unit, in the release. “Lonza Visp will continue to offer a fully integrated end-to-end development and manufacturing solution for ADCs, including the cytotoxic small molecules used in these products and all associated analytics.”