Pharmaceutical

Novartis opened a $250 million technical R&D center in Suzhou, China, in November of 2009. The 10,801-sm pharmaceutical research facility will also support the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates. Construction began on the center in February of 2006. The facility is comprised of a 4,815-sm pilot plant and 5,986-sm of laboratories. Three additional production buildings, with a footprint of 9,682-sm each, are also located on the site.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is initiating a $40 million expansion of its headquarters in Tarrytown, N.Y. The lease of an additional 131,000-sf building will accommodate expanded research and development operations. Regeneron occupies two other laboratory and office facilities at the site, for a total footprint of 390,000 sf. 

Novartis opened its influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, N.C., in November of 2009. The $1 billion project was developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The facility is designed to supply 150 million doses of vaccine within six months of the declaration of a pandemic. The building supports a cell culture-based manufacturing process and is expected to reach full-scale commercial production in 2013.

Pfizer is planning to establish a research and development center in Wuhan, China. Supporting early clinical development of drugs, the R&D facility will foster collaboration with local universities and research institutes to create innovative biopharmaceutical projects. Housing 200 employees, the facility will be located at Biolake, also known as the Wuhan National Bioindustry Base.

Roche opened its $500 million biologics manufacturing facility in Singapore in fall of 2009. Located in the Tuas Biomedical Park, the two-building complex will support advanced pharmaceutical production. The project was initiated by Genentech, now a subsidiary of Roche.

SRI International dedicated the 40,000-sf Center for Advanced Drug Research in Harrisonburg, Va., in November of 2009. Located in the Rockingham County Research and Technology Park, the project houses offices and bioscience labs arranged in clusters to maximize open space. The facility was designed by HOK and built by Nielsen Builders.

Eli Lilly and Co. opened its new biotechnology center in San Diego in fall of 2009. Located in the 450,000-sf Campus Pointe complex near UC San Diego in La Jolla, the facility will house up to 200 scientists engaged in the research and development of potential medicines. The Lilly Biotechnology Center will also provide space for clinical trials.

Northwestern University dedicated the $100 million Richard and Barbara Silverman Hall for Molecular Therapeutics and Diagnostics in Evanston, Ill., in November of 2009. The 147,000-gsf interdisciplinary research facility houses the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute and approximately 245 researchers and staff from the physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering. Comprised of four stories above ground and one below, Silverman Hall will support collaborative biomedical research and the creation of new medicines and technologies.

CPL Biologicals broke ground in fall of 2009 on an influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad, India. The 25,000-sf building will be operational in the first quarter of 2010. The facility will use virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine technology to produce commercial-scale quantities of VLP-based influenza vaccines. The plant will be able to produce over 60 million doses annually at full capacity. CPL Biologicals is a joint venture of Novavax and Cadila Pharmaceuticals of India.

EMD Serono is engaged in a $65 million expansion of its research campus in Billerica, Mass. The 140,000-sf facility will house laboratories for pharmaceutical research and production, including 25,000-sf of chemistry and screening labs and 25,000-sf of biology and cell culture labs. The building will also house offices, conference rooms, and an auditorium. Construction began on the project in fall of 2008 and completion is expected in late 2010. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The University of Florida is planning to construct the $61 million Academic and Research Center in the Lake Nona biomedical district in Orlando. The four-story, 115,000-sf facility will house the Comprehensive Drug Development Center; the UF College of Pharmacy doctoral program, and biomedical research laboratories. Designed to foster collaboration with the adjacent Burnham Institute for Medical Research, the Academic and Research Center will support accelerated development of medical treatments through translational research.

SAFC Pharma completed the expansion of its $12 million contract manufacturing facility in October of 2009. Located in Carlsbad, Calif., the BSL-2 project features two fully segregated viral product manufacturing suites. Utilizing disposable bioreactor technologies, the expansion will enable SAFC Pharma to produce biologics, viral vaccines, and gene therapies in commercial-scale quantities. The facility includes dedicated cell expansion, bioreactor production, purification, and cleanroom suites. The project added 8,000-sf to the existing 44,000-sf building.

The University of Rhode Island broke ground in October of 2009 on a 148,000-sf facility for the College of Pharmacy in Kingston. Housing leading edge teaching and research labs and business incubator space, the $75 million facility will support programs in pharmaceutics manufacturing, pharmacognosy, 3D visualization, and histology. The building will include lecture halls, classrooms, a patient clinic, tissue culture, and a 3D visualization auditorium.

The University at Buffalo broke ground in September of 2009 on the 147,000-sf School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Named John Kapoor Hall, the $62 million facility was designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative to provide teaching and research facilities for pharmaceutical science and practice. Located on the South Campus in downtown Buffalo, N.Y., the building will be part of the planned UB Academic Health Center.

Genzyme Corp. initiated construction in September of 2009 on a $100 million R&D Center in Beijing. The 200,000-sf facility will accommodate 350 employees engaged in biologics and gene therapy research. Completion is expected in 2011.