Lonza has completed a planned expansion to its Solid Form Services (SFS) offering for small molecule drugs. The expanded facility in Bend, OR (US) became fully operational in Q4 2022, enhancing Lonza’s capabilities in meeting accelerated timelines for increasingly complex molecules.

The expanded facility includes remodeled and dedicated laboratory space which is primarily being used to support biotech and midsize pharma companies in developing early-stage compounds. It can support all aspects of solid form screening and characterization of small molecule APIs, alongside selection and early crystallization process development. Effective screening and selection are critical for early-stage and late-stage development to reduce risk and strengthen intellectual property claims.

“With the completion of this expansion at our Bend site, we have successfully established a collaborative, deeply science-based Solid Form Services offering to support customers in advancing compounds to the clinic and beyond,” said Michael Morgen, head of advanced drug delivery technologies, small molecules, Lonza. “This offering is fully integrated with our upstream drug substance, and downstream drug formulation and drug product development capabilities. We are seeing strong interest from our growing customer portfolio, with many customers bringing multiple compounds and projects to the facility.”

The facility is equipped with powder and fume hoods and small-scale crystallization systems, and a full suite of spectroscopic, thermal and other techniques are available in the new and existing adjacent spaces. This includes Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high performance liquid chromatography, dynamic vapor sorption; thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, powder x-ray diffraction, solid state and liquid NMR, gas chromatography, and polarized light microscopy.

The specialist team at the facility shares extensive experience in mapping solid form landscapes and selecting and developing salts and polymorphs, augmenting decades of expertise in the adjacent upstream drug substance and downstream drug product areas. Customers utilizing the enhanced SFS offering can benefit from integration with complementary capabilities across Lonza’s global network—including drug substance in Nansha (CN) and Visp (CH), formulation and dosage form in Bend and Tampa (US), and micronization in Monteggio (IT).