Chr. Hansen and Lonza's newly branded joint venture, BacThera, receives anti-trust approvals to start contract manufacturing of live biotherapeutic products
Copenhagen, Denmark and Basel, Switzerland, 29 August 2019 - Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, a leading global bioscience company, and Lonza AG, a leading pharma contract manufacturing company, announce today that they have received the relevant approvals from anti-trust regulators needed to establish the 50/50 joint venture in the emerging market for live biotherapeutic products, originally announced in April, 2019.
Going forward the joint venture will operate under the name BacThera from its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Now approved to start operations, the company is engaging with its first customers.
Over the coming months BacThera will upgrade existing facilities in Hørsholm, Denmark, and equip new facilities in Basel, Switzerland to serve pre-clinical to phase II projects. Further facilities for phase III and commercial manufacturing will be developed as the pipeline matures. Overall, EUR 90 million will be invested, shared equally between Chr. Hansen and Lonza, over a period of three years and BacThera is expected to be largely self-funding after that.
About Lonza
Lonza is an integrated solutions provider that creates value along the Healthcare Continuum. Through our Pharma Biotech & Nutrition segment and our Specialty Ingredients segment businesses, we harness science and technology to serve markets along this continuum. We focus on creating a healthy environment, promoting a healthier lifestyle and preventing illness through consumers' preventive healthcare, as well as improving patient healthcare by supporting our customers to deliver innovative medicines that help treat or even cure severe diseases.
Patients and consumers benefit from our ability to transfer our pharma know-how to the healthcare, hygiene and fast-moving consumer goods environment and to the preservation and protection of the world where we live.
Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 100 sites and offices and approximately 15,500 full-time employees worldwide at the end of 2018. The company generated sales of CHF 5.5 billion in 2018 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.5 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.
About Chr. Hansen
Chr. Hansen is a leading, global bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. We develop and produce cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colors for a rich variety of foods, confectionery, beverages, dietary supplements and even animal feed and plant protection. Our product innovation is based on more than 30,000 microbial strains - we like to refer to them as 'good bacteria'. Our solutions enable food manufacturers to produce more with less - while also reducing the use of chemicals and other synthetic additives - which make our products highly relevant in today's world. Sustainability is an integral part of Chr. Hansen's vision to improve food and health. In 2019 Chr. Hansen was ranked as the world's most sustainable company by Corporate Knights thanks to our strong sustainability efforts and our many collaborative partnerships with our customers. We have been delivering value to our partners - and, ultimately, end consumers worldwide - for over 140 years. We are proud that more than one billion people consume products containing our natural ingredients every day.
Lonza Contact Details
Dr. Kristin Koehler Tel +41 61 316 8782 kristin.koehler@lonza.com | |
Dr. Sanna Fowler Tel +41 61 316 8929 sanna.fowler@lonza.com |
Chr. Hansen Contact Details
Martin Riise, Head of Investor Relations, Tel: +45 5339 2250 Annika Stern, Investor Relations Officer, Tel: +45 2399 2382 Camilla Lercke, Head of Media Relations, Tel: +45 5339 2384 |