Pharmaceutical

Caliber Biotherapeutics opened a 145,000-sf biopharmaceutical production plant in April of 2011 in College Station, Texas. The facility will support the manufacturing of vaccines and protein-based drugs using tobacco plants instead of conventional egg-based methodologies. The project features modular cleanroom pods for purification and laboratory equipment. Caliber Therapeutics represents a research partnership of Texas A&M University and G-Con LLC.

CSM GlobalPharma will break ground on a $65 million pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Rwanda in mid-2011. The facility will support production of solids, liquids, biological vaccines and injectables, and therapeutics with active pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). The plant is expected to become operational two years after the start of construction. CSM GlobalPharma is a partnership of Candila Pharmaceuticals of India and U.S.-based Holtzman Group.

HealthSport’s integrated thin film production facility will open in April of 2011. Located in Oxnard, Calif., the 30,000-sf project will provide research, development, and cGMP manufacturing space for dissolvable bi-layer oral thin film products for delivery of pharmaceutical active ingredients through buccal absorption. The facility will have a production capacity of up to 480 million strips per year.

Quotient Clinical announced the completion of a major expansion of its pharmaceutical sciences facilities in March of 2011 in Nottingham. The GMP manufacturing suite has doubled in size and now incorporates six independent manufacturing rooms supporting oral, inhaled, and parenteral drug products. The formulation development and pharmaceutical analysis laboratory areas have also been significantly increased and now occupy an 11,000-sf purpose-built facility.

University College Dublin opened the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training in March of 2011. The 70,000-sf facility was created in partnership with Trinity College, Dublin City University, and Sligo Institute of Technology. The center includes research space, a pilot plant, and a complete bioprocessing manufacturing operation for training programs.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer United Therapeutics is planning to build a 177,000-sf facility on its existing campus in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The addition will provide manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and warehouse space. Construction could begin in mid-2011 with completion slated for 2012. A 173,635-sf parking deck will be constructed adjacent to the facility.

AstraZeneca is planning to build a $150 million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility near Moscow in Russia. Construction will begin in April of 2011 with production beginning in spring of 2013. The facility will manufacture treatments for cancer, cardiovascular health, and other conditions.

Stanford University School of Medicine will begin construction in spring of 2011 on the $21 million Jill and John Freidenrich Center for Translational Research in Palo Alto, Calif. The three-story, 30,690-sf facility will house 250 cancer researchers and space for clinical trials. Occupancy is expected in August of 2012. The center was designed by WRNS Studio and will be built by Devcon Construction.

GlaxoSmithKline will build a 205,000-sf facility in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The four-story building will be developed by Liberty Property Trust and Synterra Partners and is expected to achieve LEED Platinum sustainable design certification. Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) is providing design services for the $81 million project. Site work will begin in March of 2011 with construction commencing in summer of 2011. Completion is expected by early 2013.

The Medical Center of the Americas is in the design stage in El Paso, Texas. Created by a consortium of academic and industry partners including the University of Texas and Texas Tech, the planned 140-acre biomedical research complex will support commercialization of pharmaceutical therapies. The first phase of the project will include construction of an 80,000-sf facility on 10 acres in central El Paso. A subsequent phase of construction will deliver two additional buildings at the site.

DSM Pharmaceutical Products is building a $65 million biologics manufacturing facility in Brisbane. The 6,500-sf project is part of the Translational Research Institute at the Princess Alexandra Hospital campus. Completion is expected by 2013.

Genzyme Corp. initiated construction in January of 2011 on a $344 million pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Geel, Belgium. The facility will provide 8,000 liters of production capacity for biologics and a complete purification installation. Completion is expected in late 2014. Genzyme is based in Cambridge, Mass.

Agensys began construction in January of 2011 on a $95 million biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Santa Monica. Designed by HLW International, the 160,000-sf complex will house research labs, offices, and manufacturing space. Completion is expected in early 2013. The building will enable Agensys to consolidate operations from three existing sites in Santa Monica. Agensys is a subsidiary of Japan-based Astellas Pharma.

Novartis International AG will begin construction in 2011 on a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in St. Peterburg, Russia. The project is part of a five-year, $500 million investment by Novartis in local infrastructure, healthcare initiatives, and partnerships with academia and industry.

CMC Biologics has completed construction of a disposable biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Seattle. The project will support early-phase clinical production of mammalian cell culture-based recombinant proteins. The single-use facility represents a trend in bioprocessing to eliminate the costly sterilization procedures associated with traditional steel tank manufacturing, as well as decrease cross-contamination risks, by utilizing disposable processing equipment and bioreactors.