Novartis and Lonza sign production deal

Drug major Novartis has formed a long-term partnership with fellow Swiss firm Lonza, a biotechnology process development and manufacturing company, to scale up the technical development and clinical production of its biologics pipeline.

Under the partnership, each project will have a specific agreement. After successful development of a compound, Novartis can choose to transfer the manufacturing in-house. In the short-term, the agreement will fulfil the need for additional resources in technical development, and will also provide Novartis with flexible additional manufacturing capacity. The partnership may focus on monoclonal antibodies for treating patients with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, asthma and spinal cord injury, says the firm.

Biological compounds currently account for about a quarter of the Novartis development portfolio and the Novartis Biologics unit aims to further grow its pipeline. Novartis currently has six biopharmaceutical production plants in Europe and the USA, and is planning to expand its in-house manufacturing capabilities with a new site in Singapore.