News

Lonza sells peptide business

9 Dec 2016

PolyPeptide is to acquire Lonza’s peptides business in Braine-l’Alleud, Belgium. Lonza’s Braine facility, with approximately 280 employees, is the centre for peptide chemical development and manufacturing within Lonza.

Lonza sells peptide business

PolyPeptide is to acquire Lonza’s peptides business in Braine-l’Alleud, Belgium. Lonza’s Braine facility, with approximately 280 employees, is the centre for peptide chemical development and manufacturing within Lonza.

The acquisition will enhance PolyPeptide’s manufacturing capacity and capabilities, the company said, and will enable seamless support for its broad portfolio as many products progress toward regulatory approval and commercial supply. Lonza Braine will provide immediate access to additional large-scale capacity in synthesis, purification and isolation of peptides, while PolyPeptide’s existing, complementary portfolio of late-stage products is said to offer opportunities for synergies and continued growth for the company.

“The addition of Lonza’s Braine facility to PolyPeptide is a great fit and will offer customers an even more comprehensive range of services for every stage of development,” said Jane Salik, CEO of the PolyPeptide Group. “With this acquisition we will be expanding our capacity to meet the needs of customers who demand the highest quality products with the most robust, scalable and cost-efficient peptide manufacturing processes at every scale.”

“This agreement is the result of our strategy of continuously reviewing our business portfolio and streamlining and optimizing our site and production platforms,” said Marc Funk, Chief Operating Officer of Lonza’s Pharma&Biotech segment. “The peptides chemical business is a niche business for Lonza, with only limited synergies with other small molecule technologies. PolyPeptide is focused and dedicated to the production, operations and sales of peptides; so we believe that we have found the optimal partner for the business to give new perspectives to the Braine site and its employees. This move will also allow us to fully focus on our many other technologies, which we will continue to develop further.”

The acquisition will not affect ongoing activities at the Belgian facility before or after close, and the integration process is expected to be seamless to customers, the companies said. PolyPeptide announced that the harmonization of procedures to ensure consistency, continuity and quality within its expanded group will be implemented in the coming months. With this acquisition, the PolyPeptide Group will employ close to 800 people worldwide with GMP facilities in the United States (Torrance and San Diego, California), France (Strasbourg), India (Ambernath), Belgium (Braine-D’Alleud) and Sweden (Malmo).

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