Logo of Swiss pharmaceutical group Lonza is seen in Basel
The logo of Swiss pharmaceutical group Lonza is seen at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland March 2, 2020.

Swiss drug contract manufacturer Lonza said first-half core earnings gained 16.5% on strong demand from biopharmaceutical companies.

First-half core earnings - adjusted for interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation - (EBITDA) rose to 987 million Swiss francs ($1.02 billion), it said in a statement on Friday, beating an analyst consensus of about 940 million francs.

For this year, Lonza said it was still targeting "low to mid-teens" sales growth, when excluding currency swings, as well as an improvement in the core EBITDA margin that is consistent with a 2024 goal of 33%-35%, up from 30.8% in 2021.

The company is in a multi-year investment push to assist drug developers as they bet on new therapeutic proteins as well as cell and gene therapies. Under the plan, Lonza earlier this month announced a 500 million franc investment in Switzerland to fill biotech drugs into vials.

The company, which is a key supplier of vaccine maker Moderna, is banking on long-term growth in the biopharmaceuticals sector well beyond the pandemic.