Lonza plans to build a commercial-scale spray-drying facility at its Bend, Oregon, site, expanding its capacity to develop and manufacture spray-dried pharmaceutical formulations.
The facility is expected to be completed in 2029 and will include two PSD-4 spray-drying units, with room for potential future capacity additions. The project will also add supporting infrastructure for solvent handling and storage.
Lonza said the new facility will expand its capability to produce spray-dried dispersions for clinical and commercial programs. The company will use the site to support small-molecule medicines and other modalities, including biologics and mRNA.
Spray-dried dispersion technology is used to address bioavailability challenges associated with poorly soluble drug substances. Lonza said demand for such technology has grown as pharmaceutical pipelines include a greater number of complex molecules requiring formulation approaches to improve absorption.
The expansion is intended to strengthen the Bend site’s role in particle engineering and bioavailability enhancement. Lonza said it expects the site to serve as a global manufacturing hub for commercial spray-drying operations.
The facility will include energy-efficient utility and process systems, along with enhanced emissions-control technologies intended to reduce overall energy demand.
Lonza said the project will expand its U.S. manufacturing operations and add commercial-scale PSD-4 spray-drying capacity. The company’s Bend site will provide spray-dried-dispersion capacity intended to support customers from development through commercial manufacturing.
Wolfgang Wienand, Lonza’s chief executive officer, said the investment expands the company’s commercial spray-drying capacity in the United States. Christian Seufert, head of advanced synthesis, said the project is intended to increase capacity for development and commercial programs requiring particle-engineering technologies.