Swiss CDMO Lonza is making a move to strengthen and speed up quality control testing with the purchase of French rapid microbiology testing firm Redberry SAS.
The acquisition, announced Monday, Oct. 27, will help Lonza meet the pharma industry’s growing demand for faster product releases without compromising safety or regulatory standards, the company said.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Redberry specializes in rapid sterility and bioburden testing using a process known as solid-phase cytometry.
The deal adds to Lonza’s quality control offerings by giving it Redberry’s Red One technology, an automated platform that can detect microbial contamination in just four days, according to the company. Traditional sterility testing usually requires a minimum 14-day incubation period. Redberry announced validation of the GMP-compliant technology in April.
The accelerated timeline is particularly important for drugmakers with short shelf-life products, Lonza said.
Mike Goetter, Lonza’s head of bioscience, specialized modalities, called the deal “a strategic step forward in reducing risk, ensuring right first-time delivery and enhancing efficiency across the industry.”
“By integrating this cutting-edge technology into our portfolio, we are empowering customers with faster and simpler tools that lower compliance costs,” Goetter said in the announcement. “It will also support scale-up, process and product integrity for biologics and cell and gene therapy production.”
Redberry CEO Jonathan Macron said Lonza’s global reach and expertise will help scale the technology “to meet the growing needs of pharmaceutical and industrial manufacturers, accelerate product release and benefit patients worldwide.”
The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.