Lonza Expands Bend Facility with Clinical Bottling and Labeling

• Lonza has introduced clinical bottling and labeling capabilities at its Bend, Oregon small molecules facility.

• The new equipment enhances support for early-stage development and includes defect detection features.

Lonza has enhanced its small molecules facility in Bend, Oregon, by adding clinical bottling and labeling capabilities. Announced on August 6, 2024, the new services build upon the company’s investment in a dedicated early phase clinical manufacturing facility completed in 2022.

The latest additions include equipment for cleaning, filling, capping, sealing, and labeling drug products. Notably, this equipment can also detect defects in tablets and capsules. “We continue to observe strong demand from customers for providing early phase development support under accelerated timelines,” said Paul Granberry, executive director and site head at Bend for Lonza Small Molecules.

Matthew Ferguson, senior director of product development for Lonza Small Molecules, added, “The new bottling equipment for filling tablets and powder-filled capsules further enhances our ability to support customers looking to accelerate their candidate pathway through Phase I and II clinical trials and beyond.”

This facility now supports over 80 programmes, focusing on bioavailability enhancement and inhaled delivery. The addition of these capabilities is expected to accelerate the delivery of products to clinical trial centres, benefiting customers by improving speed and efficiency.