Lonza agreed to acquire five Merck KGaA contract development and manufacturing sites in the U.S., a move it says will more than double its U.S. footprint from four to nine sites. The companies did not disclose a precise valuation, but deal terms were described as low- to mid-triple-digit millions Swiss francs, with Lonza projecting workforce growth of nearly 25% and added end-to-end capabilities for clinical through commercial phases. Lonza positioned the expansion around high-growth modalities including ADCs, other bioconjugates, viral vectors for cell and gene therapies, and advanced drug-delivery technologies. The transaction follows prior Lonza moves to build larger biologics and spray-drying capacity in North America. The deal matters for biotech operators competing for manufacturing slots, especially for viral-vector and conjugate programs where scale, comparability, and supply continuity can determine development timelines.