- CHF 400 million investment in Lonza's biopark in Visp (CH) to expand Ibex™ Solutions with two innovative offerings

- The expansion includes drug substance development and drug substance and drug product manufacturing, which allows customers to manage the complete product lifecycle in one site

- Advanced technology, single-use bioreactors and improved platform processes shorten time to clinic and to market, while innovative business models will increase predictability

BASEL, Switzerland, Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lonza announces the addition of two new Ibex™ Solutions offerings to Lonza's 100,000 m² (1.1 million ft²) biopark in Visp (CH). In July 2017 Ibex™ Dedicate, a modular, technology-agnostic biomanufacturing concept, was launched as the first Ibex™ Solutions offering. Ibex™ Dedicate offers an innovative facility concept with reduced CAPEX and accelerated timelines, enabling speed to market or allowing biopharma companies to delay investment decisions to decrease financial risk.

The two new Ibex™ Solutions, Ibex™ Design and Ibex™ Develop, announced today are designed to meet the evolving needs of biotech companies with antibody therapies, from the preclinical stage through to commercialization. Together with Ibex™ Dedicate, the new investment allows Lonza to offer complete product lifecycle management in one site.

Ibex™ Design covers the early stages of creating a new biologic, from gene through to clinical phase I. The offering comprises a pioneering fixed-price gene-to-vial package with terms under which Lonza will deliver drug product based on at least 1 kg drug substance within 12 months. The package also includes the reservation of a manufacturing slot for clinical resupply. Ibex™ Design allows aspiring companies to start clinical trials earlier while reducing uncertainty.

Ibex™ Develop helps companies seamlessly and rapidly transition from clinical phase II to commercialization. The offering enables biologics license applications (BLAs) to be submitted within 22 months from the start of process characterization. Eliminating the need for tech transfers, allowing process optimizations and creating operational efficiencies are expected to accelerate the path to market.

Ibex™ Design and Ibex™ Develop draw on Lonza's R&D and operational experience from more than 30 years in biomanufacturing. Proven platform technologies, such as the GS Gene Expression System^® and expertise in drug product development, are an integral part of the new offerings. The application of single-use technologies and a high degree of automation further increase the efficiency of Ibex™ Design and Ibex™ Develop. In addition, customers of all three Ibex™ Solutions can benefit from the ability to scale-up or scale-out to other sites in the established Lonza network in Europe, America or Asia.

"We looked at every step in the development and manufacturing process and asked how we could transform the path to commercialization for customers," said Marc Funk, COO Lonza Pharma & Biotech. "The result strengthens our capabilities from the early stages of drug development all the way through to commercialization. It will help biotech companies deliver life-saving medicines to patients faster."

Ibex™ Design and Ibex™ Develop will become operational from 2020 and provide a full range of manufacturing options from early development through to full commercialization.

Images for editorial use can be downloaded from www.ibex.lonza.com.

About Ibex™ Solutions

Ibex™ Solutions consist of three innovative offerings: Ibex™ Design, Ibex™ Develop and Ibex™ Dedicate. The complete offering spans the preclinical to commercial stages, from drug substance development and manufacture to drug product manufacture, all in one location.

Ibex™ Design has been created for companies with early-stage products, simplifying and speeding up their path to clinical trials. Ibex™ Develop has been created for companies with candidates in clinical development, where the goal is commercialization and BLA approval. Ibex™ Dedicate is a technology-agnostic concept, enabling customers with products in late clinical or commercial stages to build capacity in a short time to respond to increased demand.

Ibex™ Solutions offer the following key benefits:

• Speed to clinic and market
• Flexibility to manage uncertainty
• Supply chain simplification
• Risk management across the entire product lifecycle

Ibex™ Solutions are provided out of Lonza's biopark in Visp (CH), which leverages existing infrastructure, support networks and a stable and highly skilled workforce.

More information is available at www.ibex.lonza.com.

About Lonza

Lonza is one of the world's leading and most-trusted suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets. As an integrated solutions provider, Lonza is boosting its value creation along and beyond the healthcare continuum with a strong focus on patient healthcare, consumer preventive healthcare and consumer's healthy environment.

Lonza harnesses science and technology to create products that support safer and healthier living and that enhance the overall quality of life. With the recent Capsugel acquisition, Lonza now offers products and services from the custom development and manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients to innovative dosage forms for the pharma and consumer health and nutrition industries.

Benefiting from its regulatory expertise, Lonza is able to transfer its know-how from pharma to hygiene and fast-moving consumer goods all the way to coatings and composites and the preservation and protection of agricultural goods and other natural resources.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 100 sites and offices and approximately 14,500 full-time employees worldwide. The company generated sales of CHF 5.1 billion in 2017 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.3 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.

Contact Details

For Investor Relations Inquiries:
Dirk Oehlers, Head Investor Relations
Lonza Group Ltd
Tel +41 61 316 8540
dirk.oehlers@lonza.com

For Media Inquiries:
Lonza Corporate Communications
Constance Ward, Head External Communications
Lonza Group Ltd
Tel +41 61 316 8840
constance.ward@lonza.com

Lonza Pharma & Biotech
Sanna Fowler, Head Public Relations
Lonza Pharma & Biotech
Tel +41 61 316 8929
sanna.fowler@lonza.com

Additional Information and Disclaimer

Lonza Group Ltd has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX-ST"). Lonza Group Ltd is not subject to the SGX-ST's continuing listing requirements but remains subject to Rules 217 and 751 of the SGX-ST Listing Manual.

Certain matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and estimates of Lonza Group Ltd, although Lonza Group Ltd can give no assurance that these expectations and estimates will be achieved. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty and are qualified in their entirety. The actual results may differ materially in the future from the forward-looking statements included in this news release due to various factors. Furthermore, except as otherwise required by law, Lonza Group Ltd disclaims any intention or obligation to update the statements contained in this news release.

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SOURCE Lonza