The two complementary investments will add 500-litre single-use capacity from 2027 and three multiproduct suites operating at scales of up to 1,200 litres from 2028. Together, they are designed to support ADC and other bioconjugate programmes from clinical development through commercial supply.
Lonza has announced a further expansion of its bioconjugation manufacturing capabilities at its Visp site in Valais. The programme combines an upgrade of existing mid-scale suites with the construction of new large-scale commercial capacity.
The investments come as more antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and other bioconjugates progress through clinical development towards commercialisation. The new configuration is designed to provide a flexible and scalable manufacturing pathway as customer programmes advance towards commercial supply.
“As more ADCs and other bioconjugates advance towards commercialization, customers need confidence that manufacturing capacity can grow with their programs,” said Christian Seufert, Head of Advanced Synthesis at Lonza, in the company’s announcement. The announced completion dates remain prospective: the mid-scale upgrade is scheduled for completion in 2027, while commercial capacity from the new large-scale facility is expected to be operational from 2028.
Two complementary capacity investments
The first investment concerns Lonza’s existing bioconjugation suites in Visp. Scheduled for completion in 2027, the upgrade will introduce a standardised single-use platform with a capacity of 500 litres.
The suites will receive additional single-use equipment, chromatography capabilities and parallel manufacturing capacity. These changes are intended to support faster campaign changeovers, more flexible planning and a broader range of ADC and bioconjugate programmes.
The second investment is the large-scale bioconjugation facility currently under construction at the Visp manufacturing complex. Expected to become operational from 2028, the facility will comprise three multiproduct suites for cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic products.
Manufacturing will combine stainless-steel and single-use technologies at scales of up to 1,200 litres. Lonza is positioning this capacity for flexible, high-throughput commercial supply across customer programmes, with security of supply and competitive cost of goods among its stated objectives for ADC manufacturing.
The announced pathway at a glance
- Existing capabilities
Bioconjugation infrastructure is already operational in Visp. The planned modernisation will convert existing mid-scale suites into a standardised single-use platform supporting multiple products and programmes. - 2027: 500-litre single-use capacity
The mid-scale suites will add single-use equipment, chromatography capabilities and parallel manufacturing capacity. The objective is to support faster campaign changeovers, greater planning flexibility and a broader range of ADC and bioconjugate programmes - 2028: three multiproduct suites up to 1,200 litres
The new commercial facility is expected to add three suites for cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic products, combining stainless-steel and single-use manufacturing at scales of up to 1,200 litres.
Why capacity flexibility matters for ADC programmes
For ADC and bioconjugate developers, manufacturing requirements evolve as programmes move through clinical development towards commercialisation. The Visp investments address this progression by combining adaptable mid-scale capacity with larger-scale commercial manufacturing rather than adding capacity at a single scale.
The 500-litre suites are designed to provide a flexible manufacturing environment supporting multiple products and programmes, while the three larger multiproduct suites are intended for high-throughput commercial supply. Combined, the investments are expected to provide greater manufacturing flexibility, faster onboarding of new ADC programmes and a pathway from clinical development to high-volume commercial supply.
This combination of different manufacturing scales, multiproduct capacity and single-use technologies is at the core of the expansion announced in Visp.
Building out the ADC manufacturing chain in Visp
The latest expansion does not stand alone. In June 2026, Lonza announced a further investment to expand payload-linker manufacturing capacity in Visp, establishing commercial-scale capabilities for highly potent molecules in an existing GMP facility. That additional capacity is also expected to become operational in 2028.
The investment forms part of a broader integrated ADC offering spanning monoclonal antibody manufacturing, conjugation and drug-product manufacturing across Lonza’s Visp and Stein sites in Switzerland.
The new bioconjugation suites add flexible mid-scale and future large-scale commercial capacity at the conjugation stage of this broader ADC manufacturing network.
The operational capabilities behind the expansion
The mid-scale upgrade goes beyond vessel capacity. Lonza plans to add chromatography capabilities and parallel manufacturing alongside the new single-use equipment. These additions are intended to support faster campaign changeovers, greater planning flexibility and a broader range of ADC and bioconjugate programmes.
At commercial scale, the three new suites will be multiproduct and designed for both cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic products. They will combine stainless-steel and single-use manufacturing at scales of up to 1,200 litres.
A further industrial signal from Visp
The investment builds on an already broad manufacturing base in Visp. The site combines large-scale biologics production, advanced modalities and chemical manufacturing, with capabilities including mammalian cell culture, microbial fermentation, highly potent API manufacturing and bioconjugation technologies.
The new investments add defined mid-scale and large-scale capacities for ADC and other bioconjugate programmes, further extending the manufacturing pathway available at the site.
For Life Sciences companies assessing manufacturing pathways, the relevant signal is the combination of specialised bioconjugation capabilities, different production scales and a defined route from clinical development towards commercial supply. The 2027 and 2028 milestones remain prospective.
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