Lonza and Medarex, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDX) today announced that they have
signed an agreement giving Medarex the option to work with Lonza as a
collaboration partner to provide manufacturing services in support of
the development and commercialization of Medarex’s pipeline of
therapeutic proteins and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). As part of the
agreement, Lonza may provide process development services for certain
Medarex programs and may reserve manufacturing capacity for Medarex
antibody and antibody drug conjugate programs at Lonza’s
biopharmaceutical facilities around the world. Further details of the
agreement were not disclosed.
"We are pleased to be working with such a successful mid-size biotech
company to advance and strengthen their robust portfolio of innovative
therapies,” said Dr. Stephan Kutzer, Head of Lonza Biopharmaceuticals.
"Supporting Medarex’s immediate and long-term needs with our expertise
in mammalian cell culture and antibody drug conjugates is both exciting
and rewarding.”
This collaboration agreement represents the continued extension of
Lonza’s contract manufacturing business model, evolving from a
short-term product-by-product development and manufacturing arrangement
toward more strategic long-term collaboration on a pipeline of products.
The Medarex agreement leverages Lonza’s expertise and asset base in
biologics manufacturing and its new state-of-the-art facilities to
produce antibody drug conjugates in milligram to multiple kilogram
quantities for both clinical and commercial supply.
Medarex’s biologics portfolio is focused on treating oncology and
immunology therapeutic indications with ten antibody programs in Phase 3
to Phase 1 clinical development. Medarex is a leader in therapeutic
antibody development, and there are over forty therapeutic product
candidates derived from its UltiMAb® technology in
development or at the IND submission stage for clinical trials, either
through its internal efforts or through partnerships. Under the terms of
the agreement, Lonza may be supporting a portion of the Medarex product
pipeline.
About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical,
healthcare and life science industries. Its products and services span
its customers’ needs from research to final product manufacture. Lonza
is the global leader in the production and support of active
pharmaceutical ingredients both chemically as well as
biotechnologically. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the key growth drivers
of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Lonza has strong
capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides, amino acids and
niche bioproducts which play an important role in the development of
novel medicines and healthcare products. Lonza is a leader in cell-based
research, endotoxin detection and cell therapy manufacturing. Lonza is
also a leading provider of value chemical and biotech ingredients to the
nutrition, hygiene, preservation, agro and personal care markets.
Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and is listed on the SWX
Swiss Exchange. In 2008, Lonza had sales of CHF 2.937 billion. Further
information can be found at www.lonza.com.
About Medarex
Medarex is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery,
development and potential commercialization of fully human
antibody-based therapeutics to treat life-threatening and debilitating
diseases, including cancer, inflammation, autoimmune disorders and
infectious diseases. Medarex applies its UltiMAb® technology
and product development and clinical manufacturing experience to
generate, support and potentially commercialize a broad range of fully
human antibody product candidates for itself and its partners. Over
forty of these therapeutic product candidates derived from Medarex
technology are in human clinical testing or have had INDs submitted for
such trials, with the most advanced product candidates currently
approved for commercial sale, the subject of regulatory applications for
marketing authorization or in Phase 3 clinical trials. Medarex is
committed to building value by developing a diverse pipeline of antibody
products to address the world’s unmet healthcare needs. For more
information about Medarex, visit its website at www.medarex.com.
Medarex Statement on Cautionary Factors
Except for the historical information presented herein, matters
discussed herein may constitute forward-looking statements, as defined
in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Statements that
are not historical facts, such as statements preceded by, followed by or
including the words "expect"; "may"; "projected"; "estimated";
"suggest"; or "potential"; or similar statements are forward-looking
statements. Medarex disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to
update these forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include
risks associated with Lonza’s development services and reserve
manufacturing capacity, uncertainties related to the outcome of clinical
trials, as well as risks detailed from time to time in Medarex's public
disclosure filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of
Medarex's public disclosure filings are available from its investor
relations department.
Medarex®, the Medarex logo and UltiMAb® are registered trademarks of
Medarex, Inc. All rights are reserved.
