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Supplier News: Lonza, ProBioGen, Evonik & More 

The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring Lonza, ProBioGen, Evonik, LGC Group. Sai Life Sciences, Matica Biotechnology, Piramal Pharma Solutions and Avid Bioservices.  

Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing 
* LGC Group Opens $72-M Chemical Synthesis Center of Excellence 
* Sai Life Sciences Opens Veterinary API Mfg Facility 
Biologics Manufacturing 
* ProBiogen To Operate Joint Advanced Therapy Mfg Center with Bayer
* Matica Biotechnology, Cirsium Bioscience Partner for Plant-Based AAV Mfg 
Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing 
* Evonik, Ethris Partner for Nucleic Acid Drug Delivery  
* Piramal Pharma Solutions Adds Bilayer Tablet Press at UK Facility  
Appointments 
* Lonza Names New Head of Group Operations and Chief Quality Officer 
* Avid Bioservices Names New CEO

Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing 

LGC Group Opens $72-M Chemical Synthesis Center of Excellence 
LGC Group, a life sciences company of diagnostics, reference standards, and research chemicals, has opened a new Organic Chemistry Synthesis Center of Excellence in Vaughan, Ontario, following a CAD$100-million (US$72 million) investment. The 203,000-square-foot facility expands the capabilities of Toronto Research Chemicals, an organization founded at the University of Toronto more than 40 years ago and acquired by LGC Group in 2019. 

Source: LGC Group 

Sai Life Sciences Opens Veterinary API Mfg Facility 
Sai Life Sciences, a contract research organization and a CDMO of small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates, has opened Unit VI, a dedicated facility for veterinary API production, in Bidar, India. Located alongside Unit IV, the company’s flagship API manufacturing site, Unit VI has been established exclusively for veterinary APIs. 

Source: Sai Life Sciences 

Biologics Manufacturing 

ProBiogen To Operate Joint Advanced Therapy Mfg Center with Bayer 
ProBioGen, a Berlin-based CDMO of biologics, and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) have announced that ProBioGen has been selected to operate the process development GMP production facility for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) at the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies, a joint project of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Bayer AG, and BIH. ProBioGen will oversee the design, lead the construction, and subsequently operate the 4,600-square-meter GMP manufacturing unit. 

The center will be a European hub uniting research, development, and manufacturing to accelerate the translation of ATMPs from discovery to clinical application. Alongside the GMP-certified production facility, the center will feature a fully equipped incubator with modern laboratories and office spaces to offer mentoring and consulting opportunities to selected start-ups.  

Under the agreement, ProBioGen will be responsible for the build-out and certification of the GMP unit to enable the development and manufacturing of clinical material for a range of therapeutic gene- and cell-based modalities, including viral vectors, autologous and allogeneic cell products, non-viral technologies, and other biotherapeutics. Once operational, ProBioGen will manage its daily operations and ongoing maintenance and provide process development and GMP-compliant manufacturing services as well as training and support for early-stage start-ups and established industry clients. Before the GMP facility opens, ProBioGen will be providing services from its Berlin-Weißensee headquarters. 

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space and the State of Berlin, the center will be located in close proximity to Bayer’s Nordhafen, Germany, campus, with construction starting in 2025 and opening planned for 2028. 

Source: ProBioGen 

Matica Biotechnology, Cirsium Bioscience Partner for Plant-Based AAV Mfg 
Matica Biotechnology, a CDMO of viral vectors, and Cirsium Biosciences, a company focused on plant-based adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology, have entered a non-exclusive strategic partnership. 

The collaboration encompasses Cirsium’s hybrid hub-and-spoke manufacturing model, which combines internal plant-based AAV production capabilities with downstream collaborators to maximize flexibility, scalability, and distribution. Through this agreement, Matica Bio becomes an early adopter and partner, providing analytical and downstream support that complements Cirsium’s technology. 

Source: Matica Biotechnology 

Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing 

Evonik, Ethris Partner for Nucleic Acid Drug Delivery 
Evonik and Ethris, a clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered a strategic collaboration to develop and market a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform for nucleic acid delivery.  

Through this collaboration, Evonik will expand its offering of formulation development services to include Ethris’ proprietary lipidoid nanoparticle technology platform, SNaP LNP. Ethris will use Evonik’s expertise in lipid process development and LNP formulation capabilities, as well as clinical manufacturing infrastructure, to combine the companies’ capabilities to ensure the integrity and biological activity of mRNA encapsulated within LNPs.  

The LNP technology developed by Ethris provides mechanical and thermostability properties to support new therapeutic formats such as nebulized delivery for respiratory diseases. This enables efficient lung targeting through high-energy aerosolization — an approach that has traditionally been difficult with conventional LNPs. The technology has also demonstrated no systemic bioavailability of the mRNA or the produced protein in clinical trials, minimizing the risk of off-target effects, according to the companies.  

Source: Evonik 

Piramal Pharma Solutions Adds Bilayer Tablet Press at UK Facility  
Piramal Pharma Solutions, a CDMO of active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products, has added a Korsch XM-12 bilayer tablet press at its drug-product manufacturing facility in Morpeth, UK.  

With the addition of the Korsch XM-12 bilayer tablet press, the facility can now achieve high tablet output across flexible formats. The XM-12 is designed for both single-layer and bilayer production and features sanitary fittings for inlet hoppers, a special product chute for the containment of high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredients, and both B and D changeout turrets to support rapid changeovers. 

Source: Piramal Pharma Solutions 

Appointments 

Lonza Names New Head of Group Operations and Chief Quality Officer 
Lonza’s Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Jason Berndt, current Head of Global Technical Services and Senior Vice President at Bristol-Myers Squibb, as Head of Group Operations, Executive Vice President, and member of the company’s Executive Committee. He succeeds Maria Soler Nunez, who will take up the newly created role of Chief Quality Officer and Executive Vice President and who will remain a member of the Executive Committee. Both appointments will be effective October 1, 2025. 

Berndt brings more than two decades of experience in global operations, having previously served in a variety of leadership roles spanning operational excellence, manufacturing, supply chain management, technical services, and network transformations across leading pharmaceutical and consumer goods companies. He also brings international expertise, with prior roles based in the US, Germany, Israel, and Japan. 
 
Berndt most recently served as Head of Global Technical Services and Senior Vice President at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to this, he spent more than eight years in different leadership roles at Teva Pharmaceuticals and six years in manufacturing operations at Procter & Gamble, as well as two years as a consultant at McKinsey and Company. He began his career in the US Army, where he spent five years as a military officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from the University of Michigan. 

Soler Nunez joined Lonza in 2022 as Head of Group Operations and member of the Executive Committee. In this position, she successfully led Lonza’s engineering, procurement, supply chain management, operational excellence, and program management functions. In her new role as Chief Quality Officer, she will be responsible for upholding and reinforcing quality standards across Lonza’s global development and manufacturing network, as well as overseeing regulatory affairs and regulatory compliance. Overall, she has 28 years of experience in manufacturing and quality roles in the pharmaceutical industry, working in multiple countries including Spain, Switzerland and the US. Before joining Lonza, she served as Chief Quality Officer at Novartis, with responsibility for all aspects of quality across its global operations network. Prior to Novartis, she worked at Eli Lilly and Company for 12 years. 

Beginning October 1, 2025, and continuing until his retirement in 2026, Oliver Schläfli, currently serving as Global Head of Quality, will transfer his responsibilities to Soler Nunez and provide counsel on different projects across the organization. 

Source: Lonza 

Avid Bioservices Names New CEO 
Avid Bioservices, a CDMO specializing in mammalian cell-culture manufacturing, has appointed Kenneth Bilenberg, currently Chief Operating Officer of Fujifilm Biotechnologies, as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He succeeds Nick Green, who is stepping down as CEO for health reasons.  

A seasoned industry executive with more than 20 years of experience, Bilenberg most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Fujifilm Biotechnologies, where he led global operations across modalities and scale, and prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at Novo Nordisk. He is currently based in Denmark and will be relocating to California when possible.  

Source: Avid Bioservices