Lonza teams with Sartorius on media to boost capacity utilisation

The accord – financial terms of which were not disclosed - will see a range liquid and powder media produced by Lonza packaged in ready-to-use sterile, single-use bioreactor bags produced by SSB. The firm’s will also co-develop new media products.

The collaboration does not extend to the biomanufacturing culture media that Lonza makes for its existing academic or custom manufacturing clients.

Lukas Utiger, COO of Lonza Bioscience said: “For Lonza this agreement provides great upside potential as it will allow us to capture additional value from our media business in the form of additional revenue leading to higher capacity utilization.”​

According to Lonza’s financial results for the six months to June 31, revenue from medias sold by its therapeutic unit saw double digit growth rates, although they “were slightly lower than forecast in Europe​.”​

Lonza spokesman Dominik Werner told in-Pharmatechnologist.com that the partnership with SSB will generate manufacturing work for Lonza's sites in Walkersville in the US and Verviers in Belgium.

SSB software sales deal​

In other news, SSB has expanded its process analytical technology (PAT) offering through a new partnership with Swedish software manufacturer Umetrics AB.

The deal – terms of which were not disclosed – will see SSB act as global marketer and distributor for Umetrics’ range of modelling and optimization software to the biomanufacturing industry.

SSB spokesman Stefan Schlack said: “These software solutions will help our customers to better understand their cell culture processes and to identify potential for optimization and robust process control – an ideal addition to our bioprocess portfolio​.”

The accord fits with the strategy SSB used earlier this year when it partnered with Refine Technology​ and G-con​ to expand its biomanufacturing technology offering.

In contrast, for Umetrics the agreement is about market access according to general manager Lars Lindstrom.

“With SSB, we can gain access to substantially more customers thanks to its international reach and solid market standing in the biopharma sector...I anticipate that this will considerably boost the biopharmaceutical industry’s interest in and usage of our products​.”