Kodiak Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company committed to researching, developing and commercializing transformative therapeutics to treat high prevalence retinal diseases, and Lonza, have inaugurated a new, custom-built, bioconjugation facility within Lonza’s Ibex Dedicate manufacturing complex in Visp (canton of Valais).
Kodiak Sciences leverages its core technology, the Antibody Biopolymer Conjugate (ABC) Platform to develop next-generation, long-durability ophthalmic therapies. KSI-301 is the lead product candidate based on the ABC Platform, consisting of a custom-built antibody inhibiting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a potent cytokine known to contribute to the pathology of retinal vascular diseases, conjugated with a phosphorylcholine biopolymer.
The new facility will play a key role in the scaled manufacturing of Kodiak’s lead therapeutic candidate KSI-301 to support a potential global commercial launch. Once fully operational and if KSI-301 is approved for commercial use, the facility is expected to have the capacity to supply over 10 million dose equivalents of KSI-301 annually.
The strong relationship between Kodiak and Lonza has led to a multi-year commercial collaboration that has created 12 full-time positions at Kodiak Sciences in Visp and 70 positions at Lonza.
A long-standing support from local stakeholders and the canton of Valais
Lonza’s leadership in bioconjugation, together with its experience in managing the complex supply chains under one quality system, will help Kodiak meet the precision standards required for ophthalmic intravitreal injected therapies.
The new dedicated bioconjugation facility will allow for rapid product launch and provide flexible commercial manufacturing capacity that can scale to meet market needs. Lonza will also utilize its global network of facilities, including Nansha (CN) and Visp (CH) to produce Kodiak’s biopolymer, and Portsmouth (U.S.) to produce Kodiak’s monoclonal antibody.
Victor Perlroth, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Kodiak Sciences, commented : “The grand opening of Ursus, our dedicated bioconjugate facility, is an important milestone in our journey to develop medicines for patients in need worldwide. We are thankful to have our trusted partner Lonza, a global leader with the needed expertise, systems and production capacity, navigate the challenges of manufacturing and supplying KSI-301, our lead product candidate. We are also very appreciative of the long-standing support from the local community of Visp and the canton of Valais.”
