Overview
- Lonza has signed a definitive agreement to acquire five U.S. contract development and manufacturing sites from Merck KGaA, increasing its U.S. site count from four to nine and adding about 1,100 employees.
- Reports place the transaction value in the low- to mid‑triple‑digit millions of Swiss francs, with Reuters saying the price is near the midpoint of a CHF100–600 million range.
- The five facilities bring specific capabilities: bioconjugates in St. Louis; high‑potency payload‑linker production in Madison and Verona, Wisconsin; viral‑vector and aseptic fill‑finish in Carlsbad, California; and lipid nanoparticle, liposome and PEGylated protein work plus fill‑finish in Indianapolis.
- Lonza expects the assets to contribute roughly SFr250 million in sales in full‑year 2028, will fund the purchase with cash and existing credit lines, and says initial EBITDA margins will sit below the group's average while integration and further investment proceed.
- The move builds on Lonza's recent U.S. expansion and aligns with broader industry and policy emphasis on domestic drug manufacturing, while Merck KGaA frames the sale as portfolio sharpening toward drug development.