Pharmaceutical

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering has announced the 2016 ISPE Facility of the Year Awards category winners:

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, a company developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, opened its new headquarters and research facility in San Diego in December of 2015. Consolidating three previous offices, the 34,000-sf project houses over 50 employees and all of OncoSec's discovery research, clinical, and administrative activities under one roof. The facility features approximately 15,000 sf of technology-rich lab space that is strategically arranged to optimize workflow and minimize potential disruptions.

A backlog of construction, renovations, and upgrades may finally come to life, thanks to the $2 billion increase in NIH funding Congress approved in December, the first increase in more than 12 years. More than 80 percent of the $32 billion NIH budget is dedicated to extramural research—research outside the NIH itself—meaning that an additional $1.6 billion in research grants will be made available this year.

Eli Lilly and Company is initiating a $70 million expansion of its global research and development campus in Indianapolis. Providing an additional 130,000 sf of flexible lab space, the project will support collaborative, multidisciplinary research on small molecule pharmaceutical therapies. Completion is expected in 2017.

Illumina is expanding its San Diego operations with the development of a 300,000-sf facility for the production of technologies for genetic analysis. Designed by Ewing Cole, the project will create advanced manufacturing space, laboratories, offices, warehousing, and support. BNBuilders is providing both pre-construction and construction services for the interior buildout of the facility as well as the expansion of the central plant. Completion is expected in late 2016.

AstraZeneca opened a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in October of 2015 in Kaluga, Russia. The dedicated center will focus on final-stage production, packaging, and quality control. The development cost of the project to date is $224 million. Commercial production is expected to begin at the site in early 2016 with full operations commencing in 2017.

Althea is expanding its San Diego operations with the construction of a 57,000-sf biological manufacturing facility. Supporting the production of highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), the project will feature cGMP-compliant suites for bioconjugation, formulation, purification, and aseptic fill and finish. The facility will open in the second quarter of 2016 with full operations commencing in mid-2017.

Adaptimmune is building a 67,000-sf biopharmaceutical R&D center in Abingdon in the United Kingdom. Designed by Nicholas Hare, the facility will provide laboratories, offices, and conference rooms for approximately 200 investigators and staff. Ground was broken on the project in October of 2015 and completion is expected in late 2016. The facility is located on the Milton Park technology campus and is being developed by MEPC.

Oxford Pharmaceuticals broke ground in September of 2015 on a $29.4 million manufacturing plant in Birmingham, Ala. Designed by NOLA Van Peursem Architects, the 120,000-sf facility is located in the Jefferson Metropolitan Park at Lakeshore and will support generic drug research, production, and packaging. The general contractor for the project is Robins & Morton. The facility is expected to become operational in the third quarter of 2016. Oxford Pharmaceuticals is based in the United Kingdom.

Mayne Pharma is planning to construct a $65 million pharmaceutical production facility at its existing site in Greenville, N.C. The commercial-scale, oral-dose manufacturing center is expected to be fully operational in 2018. Designed to meet international regulatory standards, the 126,000-sf project will enable Mayne to expand its contract service offerings, which include development, manufacturing, and packaging operations for generic and specialty drug products.

Biopharmaceutical firm Baxalta is developing a 200,000-sf research and development center in Cambridge, Mass. Located at Kendall Square, the leased facility will support the commercialization of preclinical discoveries made in partnership with academic institutions and independent biotech firms. The project is expected to house approximately 500 employees upon completion in late 2015. Baxalta is a subsidiary of Baxter International, based in Deerfield, Ill.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center will begin construction in early fall of 2015 on the $16 million Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Systems in Memphis. An existing 32,000-sf facility will be renovated to support the manufacture of pharmaceutical products for clinical trials. Designed by brg3s Architects and ETFC Architects to meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards, the center will feature three 800-sf modular cleanroom pods created by G-CON Manufacturing.

Quotient Clinical has expanded its existing campus in Nottingham with the construction of 8,000 sf of laboratory space for pharmaceutical research, development, and analysis. Additionally, Quotient has acquired a 3,000-sf GMP manufacturing facility at the MediCity innovation hub in Nottingham. The lab provides eight production suites with integrated controls for high potency molecule containment and will begin operations in late 2015.

Frontage Labs opened a 36,000-sf clinical research center in Secaucus in July of 2015. Designed by DMR Architects, the facility provides a biomedical laboratory, 160 observation beds, exam rooms, administrative offices, dining facilities, a recreation center, and a pharmacy. The project was developed by retrofitting an existing building to meet the specifications of Frontage Labs, an early-stage drug development company based in Exton, Pa.

Bristol-Myers Squibb will begin construction in July of 2015 on a new research and development facility in Cambridge, Mass. Providing collaborative laboratories and offices for the creation of advanced biomedical and pharmaceutical products, the sustainably designed project comprises 208,000 sf of leased space in the Alexandria Center at Kendall Square development. Completion is expected in late 2017.