Roche and Lonza Announce Opt-in for Singapore Manufacturing Facility
Roche and Lonza announced that Genentech Singapore Pte. Ltd., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group, elected to exercise an option to purchase from Lonza its cell culture biologic manufacturing facility in Singapore. The facility, which is mechanically complete, will be merged with Genentech Singapore's existing biologic manufacturing facility. As part of the integration between Roche's and Genentech's combined technical operations, the biotechnology production facilities in Singapore currently operating under the Genentech name will later this year operate under the name of Roche Singapore Technical Operations. Lonza will continue to build up its own large-scale mammalian manufacturing plant in Singapore, which will come on-stream in 2011.
The Singapore manufacturing facility is acquired for a purchase price of USD 290 mio plus additional milestone payments of USD 70 mio. It is expected to produce Avastin (bevacizumab) bulk drug substance, has 80,000 liters of fermentation capacity and is located on approximately 10 acres with an option for up to 20 additional acres.
Genentech Singapore’s existing 1,000-liter E.coli manufacturing facility is expected to receive FDA licensure for bulk drug production of Lucentis (ranibizumab) injection in 2010. The combined Singapore operations will play a key role in Roche's global manufacturing network.
With the exercise of the option and resultant merger, approximately 230 Lonza employees will join Genentech Singapore Technical Operations, for a total site headcount of approximately 325. Lonza continues to employ over 80 people working at its own mammalian manufacturing plant and plans to ramp up this number to over 300 employees in the next 12 months and beyond.
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