Biomanufacturer will also help drug giant design new U.K. production facility.
A deal between Lonza and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has secured manufacturing capacity for five of the latter’s early clinical-stage monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Lonza will initially manufacture clinical trial batches of the mAbs, which GSK says are in Phase I or Phase II development. Lonza will also ensure capacity for the future manufacture of the products through late-stage trials and commercial launch.
GSK says it is, meanwhile, working to expand its own biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities. The deal with Lonza will see the firms work together to help GSK assess its options for the design, specification, location, and construction of a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility within the U.K.
“We believe this is a critical step in the ongoing and future success of GSK in biopharmaceuticals,” comments Ian Tomlinson, head of biopharma R&D at GSK. “Our goal is to establish a portfolio of biopharmaceutical products that by 2015 consistently exceeds 20% of our R&D pipeline. To make this a reality we need to ensure that we have the right resources in place, which include flexible and expert manufacturing capabilities.”
