Swiss pharmaceutical Lonza Group just confirmed its 2017 outlook earlier this week and outlined new targets through 2022.
The Pharma supplier’s performance remained high with sales up 27% up to CHF 1,064 million for first half 2017. Specialty Ingredients experienced a sales increase of 6.3% for the period. In addition, the company announced the launch of “Ibex – The Agile Advantage,” a concept it says will transform biological development and manufacturing and reduce time-to-market by up to 12 months.
“Lonza’s continued growth shows the company’s strength and ability to shape the future along the healthcare continuum with our customer-oriented market approach, ongoing operational excellence and new innovative offerings,” said Richard Ridinger, CEO of Lonza, in a press release. “The outstanding results in the first half 2017 are fully consistent with our outlook for the full year.”
Lonza helps clients develop and manufacture active drug ingredients, provides dosage forms for the pharmaceuticals and consumer health and nutrition industries, and offers other outsourced services.
The company’s shares, up more than 30 percent this year, were up 7 percent at 229.60 at 0821 GMT after hitting a record high of 233 francs. It joined the Swiss blue-chip index in May, and aims to
generate by 2022 sales of 7.5 billion Swiss francs ($7.9 billion), an EBITDA margin of 30 percent and a return on net operating assets (RONOA) of 35 percent.“Lonza expects to continue its momentum in H2 2017; however, results will then be compared with an exceptionally strong H2 2016,” the company said.
