- Lonza plans to construct a large-scale commercial spray-drying facility at its Bend, Oregon site, equipped with two PSD-4 spray-drying units.
- The facility is expected to be completed in 2029 and initially create more than 80 jobs, expanding Lonza’s US capacity for spray-dried dispersions (SDDs).
Lonza plans to construct a large-scale commercial spray-drying facility at its Bend, Oregon site as part of an expansion of its US manufacturing footprint. The facility will provide commercial-scale spray-dried dispersion (SDD) capacity and is intended to support customers across clinical and commercial programs. Lonza said the site will support the development and manufacturing of small molecules and other modalities, including biologics and mRNA.
The new facility will include two PSD-4 spray-drying units, with provisions for future capacity expansion. The project will also add infrastructure for solvent handling and storage, as well as energy-efficient utility and process systems and enhanced emission control technologies. Lonza said these systems are intended to reduce overall facility energy demand.
The expansion is aimed at meeting demand for SDD CDMO services as pharmaceutical pipelines include an increasing number of poorly soluble drug substances and molecules with bioavailability challenges. The company said the Bend expansion will provide customers with an additional option for integrated end-to-end SDD development and manufacturing services, with a particular focus on US demand.
The facility is expected to be completed in 2029 and will initially create more than 80 new jobs. Lonza said the expansion will increase proximity to customers and support more resilient, regionalized supply chains for critical therapies.
“The growing number of complex drug molecules is increasing demand for advanced particle engineering technologies. The investment will expand the capacity and capabilities available to customers from development through commercialization.”
Christian Seufert, head of Advanced Synthesis at Lonza
