A CDMO’s Perspective on Outsourcing Challenges for ADCs–Part 2

In the second half of an interview with Pharmaceutical Technology®, Christian Morello, vice president and head of the Bioconjugates Business Unit at Lonza, points out the need for having the right expertise when it comes to developing and manufacturing antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). He points to Lonza’s 2023 acquisition of the Netherlands-based Synaffix (1), whose technology offers a new way of doing conjugation and closes a technological gap in Lonza’s own repertoire.

“We require this technology because it brings some value to the customer,” Morello says. “[This technology] is something that no one else has.” Synaffix’s technology specifically addresses the challenge of how many linkers and payloads can be connected to the mAb carrier, he explains.

In terms of outsourcing partnerships for ADC development, Morello notes that each ADC program is different, and each company is different. “What is very important is to understand what the company, the ADC developer, the customer, needs. For that, we need to understand what is the clinical development plan? What is the main challenge—is it to be fast? Is it to master a very specific technology? [There] is no ‘one size fits all’,” he says.

Morello also notes that it is more important to have an approach that is customer-specific and program-specific in order to address the developer’s needs. He also emphasizes the importance of capturing the right technologies into one’s toolbox. “In the past, we started out produc[ing] just the conjugation. Now, we are offering a totally integrated solution: we can produce the antibodies; we can produce the drug linker; we can, for sure, produce the bioconjugate [drug] substance—but we can also produce the bioconjugate direct product,” he states.

Click above for the full interview.

Click here for part 1 of this interview.

Click here for the related feature story.

About the speaker

Christian Morello, Vice President and Head, Bioconjugates Business Unit, Lonza

Christian Morello is vice president and head of the Bioconjugates Business Unit at Lonza. He is responsible for establishing and driving strategy of the business unit developing bioconjugates/antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing services for Lonza’s customers worldwide. Prior to joining Lonza, Morello was the head of Global Project Management at Sanofi where he oversaw the development portfolio execution. He is a biochemical engineer and has over 28 years of experience in drug development from discovery to registration, planning, manufacturing, and programs management.

Reference

1. Lonza. Lonza to Acquire Synaffix and Strengthen Antibody-Drug Conjugates Offering. Press Release. June 1, 2023.