VISP, Switzerland — Lonza Group on Sunday detailed plans to bring additional mammalian cell culture bioreactor trains online at its Visp manufacturing campus, citing a sustained surge in client demand for biologics drug substances that has pushed existing capacity to near-full utilization. The announcement follows a week in which Lonza's share price climbed sharply after the company reported stronger-than-expected revenue momentum tied to its biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business.

The Visp site, Lonza's largest and most technically complex facility, will receive investment in new 20,000-litre bioreactor suites targeted at large-molecule therapeutics including monoclonal antibodies and next-generation biologics. Company executives indicated that several long-term manufacturing agreements with major pharmaceutical clients, including at least one undisclosed top-ten global pharma group, underpinned the capital commitment.

The expansion is part of a broader industry trend in which CDMOs are racing to lock in capacity ahead of an anticipated wave of biologic drug approvals expected through 2027 and 2028. Rivals including Samsung Biologics in Incheon and Wuxi Biologics in China have also announced capacity additions in recent months, intensifying competition for multi-year manufacturing contracts.

Lonza Chief Executive Wolfgang Wienand noted that the company's differentiated mammalian and microbial platform technologies give it a competitive edge in winning complex molecule programmes. 'The biologics pipeline has never been deeper, and our clients are securing manufacturing slots earlier in development than ever before,' Wienand said in a statement accompanying the announcement.

Analysts at UBS and Jefferies both flagged the Visp expansion as a positive signal for Lonza's medium-term revenue visibility, with UBS upgrading its 2027 EBITDA estimate. The additional capacity is expected to be operational in phases beginning in the second half of 2028, subject to regulatory inspection and validation timelines.