Lonza Increases HPAPI Production at Visp Facility

Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza announced on June 30, 2026 that it is enhancing its drug-linker center of excellence and expanding payload-linker manufacturing capacity at its Visp, Switzerland site.¹ The company plans to add new commercial-scale capabilities to manufacture highly complex and highly potent APIs (HPAPIs) as well as antibody drug conjugate (ADC) payload linkers.

The expansion will add new manufacturing capacity within the company’s existing good manufacturing practice facility and add payload-linker production and purification to its dedicated analytical and process development laboratories. The facility can produce a range of payload-linker molecules and allows for multipurpose use and scale-out, with the ability to add additional suites for future demand.

The company’s ADC capabilities at the Visp site include the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, conjugation and drug product manufacturing, and quality control for handling highly potent payload-linker molecules. The expanded facility is planned for operation in 2028 and will support clinical and commercial programs.

Earlier investments in the Visp site included bioconjugation capabilities with the addition of 2 multipurpose 1200L manufacturing suites in 2024. The suites doubled the company’s multipurpose capacity. “We continue to see strong growth in the bioconjugates space as ADCs and other bioconjugated drugs increasingly progress towards commercialization,” Christian Morello, vice president, head of Bioconjugates, Lonza, said in a press release at the time.² “This investment in our multipurpose commercial bioconjugation capacity addresses the growing market demand, enables us to support the growth of our customers and offers a flexible and integrated service for manufacturing bioconjugates.”

What Spurred the Expansion?

The growth of ADCs has increased demand for complex payload-linkers, according to Lonza, and these require customized synthesis and advanced purification technologies. The structural complexity of the molecules is also driving the need for the manufacture of specialized highly potent materials.

“The rapid growth of the ADC market is driving increasing demand for highly complex payload-linkers that require advanced manufacturing capabilities,” Christian Seufert, head of Advanced Synthesis at Lonza, said in a press release.¹ “Lonza remains committed to investing and further developing its integrated ADC offering. This investment reflects that commitment by expanding our capacity to support this next generation of therapies and enabling our customers to progress efficiently from development to commercial supply, ultimately helping bring targeted, potentially life-changing treatments to patients.”

The HPAPI market is expected to expand to more than $60 billion by 2034.^3,4 According to Ester Masllorens, senior vice president of global R&D with Olon, “The HPAPI landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by breakthroughs in oncology, rare diseases, and advanced delivery platforms such as ADCs and peptides. The growing complexity and potency of these molecules requires sophisticated containment capabilities and manufacturing strategies.”⁴ 

The challenges presented by the development and manufacturing of HPAPIs require specialized expertise, according to Masllorens, and those challenges and complexities continue to increase.⁴ They require robust containment, validated cleaning procedures, strict protections for operators, as well as highly specialized synthesis and purification.⁴

“To address the complexity of HPAPI development, the industry is increasingly adopting modular containment systems, green chemistry approaches, and digitalization,” stated Masllorens.⁴

References

1. Lonza expands HPAPI capacity in Visp, further supporting its position in payload-linker manufacturing. Press release. Lonza. June 30, 2026. https://www.lonza.com/news/2026-06-30-07-00
2. Lonza to expand bioconjugation in Visp (CH) with two additional manufacturing suites. Press release. Lonza. November 12, 2024. https://www.lonza.com/news/2024-11-12-07-00
3. Grand View Research. High Potency Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market–By Product, By Drug Type, By Manufacturer Type, By Application–Global Forecast, 2025–2034. February 2025. https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/high-potency-active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-market
4. Challener C. Trends and challenges impacting highly potent API development. Pharmaceutical Technology 2025 49 (9). https://www.pharmtech.com/view/trends-and-challenges-impacting-highly-potent-api-development