FILE PHOTO: Logo of Swiss contract drug maker Lonza is seen in Basel
ZURICH (Reuters) – Lonza will commission a dedicated suite at its Houston viral vectors factory for clinical and commercial supply of U.S.-based Altimmune’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the Swiss contract drug manufacturer said on Friday.
Altimmune is developing a COVID-19 vaccine candidate to be administered via nasal spray, and has begun Phase 1 safety studies in humans, with expected data to come in the second quarter.
Lonza’s 300,000-square-foot cell and gene therapy factory, opened in 2018, will provide manufacturing space for Altimmune’s AdCOVID vaccine, which uses an adenovirus vector to help stimulate an immune response. The deal follows Lonza’s larger agreement with Moderna to produce drug substances for its mRNA vaccine in the United States and Switzerland.