Lonza Advances Preclinical Aseptic Spray Drying to Address High-Dose Biologics Delivery Challenges
On 1 October 2026, Lonza announced it is advancing a preclinical aseptic spray drying program to give biopharma companies new formulation and delivery options for biologics constrained by high-dose subcutaneous administration, PK, stability or manufacturability. Based in Bend (US), the platform has passed proof-of-concept for mAbs, ADCs and peptides.
Basel, Switzerland, 1 October 2026 – Lonza, the world's leading CDMO, announced today that it is advancing a preclinical aseptic spray drying program to provide biopharma companies with additional formulation and delivery options for biologics that otherwise face limitations related to high-dose subcutaneous administration, pharmacokinetics, stability or manufacturability. The initiative builds on successful proof-of-concept work demonstrating the reliable formulation and spray drying of a range of monoclonal antibodies and conjugates at high concentration.
The program, based in Bend (US), is focused on new approaches for biologics, including high-dose subcutaneous (SC) therapies, an area where current delivery options remain limited. As demand grows for patient-friendly biologic treatments, drug developers are seeking innovative solutions to deliver higher doses in smaller injection volumes.
Aseptic spray drying remains a highly specialized technology with limited adoption across the industry. Lonza has leveraged its formulation science, analytical capabilities and particle engineering expertise to develop a facile and inexpensive aseptic spray drying platform for proof-of-concept studies. The approach is being investigated for a broad range of therapeutic modalities, including monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and peptides.
While spray drying offers potential advantages, such as improved stability and reduced viscosity of highly concentrated formulations through suspensions, technical hurdles remain, including protein stability, fast and reliable aseptic processing, formulation optimization, and scalable manufacturing.
Comment from Lonza R&D leadership
Francois Ricard, Head of R&D, Advanced Synthesis, Lonza, commented: “We believe aseptic spray drying has the potential to expand drug delivery options for biologics and new therapeutic modalities by addressing challenges associated with stability, dose concentration and patient convenience, but also pharmacokinetics. By applying our expertise in formulation science and spray drying, we are advancing approaches that could help customers develop and manufacture the next generation of biologic therapies.”
About Lonza
Lonza is a Swiss-based global CDMO with capabilities spanning biologics, advanced synthesis (small molecules and bioconjugation), drug product, and cell and gene therapy. Through its Synaffix platform it has built end-to-end ADC capabilities and continues to expand capacity at Visp, Stein and Vacaville.