On Jun. 2, 2021, Lonza announced the expansion of its collaboration with Moderna. The expanded collaboration extended the manufacture of the drug substance for the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna and provided for the installation of a new manufacturing line for drug substance production at Lonza’s Geleen site.

The new production line in Geleen (NL) will complement Lonza’s existing drug substance production network for COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna and deliver a crucial manufacturing step to increase overall drug substance output. As such, the new production line will contribute to the supply of up to an additional 300 million doses per year, at a 50ug dose, once operating at full capacity. 

In May 2020, Lonza and Moderna announced a ten-year strategic collaboration agreement to enable the manufacture of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine and additional Moderna products in the future. Since then, Lonza has installed three production lines at its Visp (CH) site and one production line in Portsmouth (US). In April 2021, Lonza and Moderna entered a new agreement to add three further production lines at its Visp (CH) site. 

The new production line in Geleen (NL) is expected to be operational by the end of 2021. Lonza will leverage its existing infrastructure in Geleen (NL) to provide fast build-out and ramp-up of operations.