Lonza to Add Commercial Spray-Drying Facility in Oregon

Editor’s Take: Spray-dried dispersion technologies are increasingly important amid growing molecule complexity and related bioavailability challenges.

Lonza plans to construct a large-scale commercial spray-drying facility in Bend, Ore. The company says the investment reinforces the Bend site as a center of excellence for particle engineering and bioavailability enhancement.

Why Spray-Drying Needed

Bioavailability is a major challenge in an environment of growing molecule complexity, heightening the need for spray-dried dispersion (SDD) technologies. The new site in Bend will have two state-of-the-art PSD-4 spray-drying units.

According to Lonza, that will make the company the United States’ leading CDMO provider of commercial-scale spray-drying PSD-4 capacity. The company says demand for SDD CDMO services has grown thanks to increasing complexities in pharmaceutical pipelines.

A “full range” of SDD capacity will support customers in both clinical and commercial settings, Lonza says. The integrated end-to-end offerings of the Bend site encourage development and manufacturing of small molecules, biologics, and mRNA.

Lonza Focuses on US Manufacturing

“[This] reflects our conviction that the U.S. will remain a leading source of pharmaceutical innovation,” Lonza CEO Wolfgang Wienand said. “By significantly expanding our commercial-scale spray-drying capabilities, we strengthen a technology that can fundamentally improve delivery and bioavailability of medicines. With this, our world-class particle engineering team in Bend will be even better able to support our customers.”

Lonza says the facility is made possible through a “significant capital investment.” Exact terms of that are not public. Work should be completed in 2029, and will initially create more than 80 new jobs. Not only expanding Lonza’s U.S. manufacturing footprint, the facility will also enhance proximity to key customers and ease supply chains.

Additional proposed upgrades to the Bend site include supporting infrastructure for solvent handling and storage.