Plans to construct a second insulin manufacturing plant in Clayton have been put on hold by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals' Danish parent company due to research delays. The plant would manufacture insulin in the form of an inhalant, the clinical trials of which have been delayed. Novo Nordisk's existing insulin manufacturing plant occupies 50 of 260 acres owned by the pharmaceutical firm in Clayton; the new plant would be constructed adjacent to it.
Abbot Labs, based in Illinois, is proposing to build a West Coast R&D headquarters at the former 35-acre Cargill Salt site in Redwood City. The site is adjacent to Perclose, the medical device manufacturer recently purchased by Abbott. Phase I of the one-million-sf project would accommodate approximately 500 employees in 250,000 sf of lab and office space, where the pharmaceutical and diagnostic company will expand its cardiac product line. By the end of 2002, Abbott anticipates completion of the planning, design, and review of the project.
Chiron Corp. is seeking approval from the city of Emeryville to begin construction in summer 2002 on a new 365,000-sf lab and office complex at its Emeryville headquarters. The new facility would expand Chiron’s manufacturing space for drugs awaiting approval. If approved, the expansion could take up to two years to complete. Construction of a 1,000-space parking structure for the new building is already nearing completion.
Wyeth-Ayerst has commissioned Ewing Cole Cherry Brott of Philadelphia in collaboration with Fluor Daniel to provide architecture and engineering services for a new vaccine development center. The building will consolidate the company's vaccine development centers currently located throughout the United States, reducing product development and manufacturing cycle time. It will include development process labs, analytical labs, various levels of biocontainment space, a research library, conference center, offices, and an employee cafeteria.
Integrated Laboratory Services, based in Raleigh, N.C., plans to occupy a 77,395-sf R&D and office facility'Tech 15'under construction at Keystone Park. The $7-million building is scheduled for completion in March 2002. Ten more buildings are planned for the Park, with construction of the second building scheduled to begin late in summer 2002. Keystone Corp. is the developer of the $65-million project, which is scheduled for completion in 2004.
Eisai Inc. has added 24,148 sf to its 85,000 sf of manufacturing facilities in Research Triangle Park, providing space for research labs, offices, manufacturing, packing, locker rooms, a cafeteria and 130 parking spaces. The development also includes raw materials storage in an off-site warehouse. Eisai is the U.S. Pharmaceutical division of Esai Co. Ltd. of Japan and manufactures Aricept and Aciphex. Esai currently employs 130 people at the RTP facility.
In the last year Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines and Pediatrics (a division of Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories) has completed construction of a 115,000-sf manufacturing facility for new vaccine components, as well as new production, warehousing, administrative and central utilities buildings.
Idec Pharmaceuticals is planning to build a new 1,800,000-sf manufacturing and research facility on 60 acres at the 400-acre Ocean Ranch Corporate Center. Groundbreaking for the multi-story buildings is slated for early 2001.
Three-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals has relocated its corporate headquarters from Exton to 20,500-sf of office space in Lower Makefield, a site conveniently located between the firm's 40,000-sf research space in Exton and its newly-expanded 42,500-sf research facility in Cranbury, N.J. The biopharmaceutical company is also planning to convert 10,000 sf of its Exton site from office to laboratory space.
Elan Corp., based in Dublin, Ireland, may consolidate New Jersey and San Francisco units of its pharmaceuticals division at a new North American headquarters in Sorrento Valley, where its recently-acquired Dura Pharmaceuticals is located. Plans would include expanding research space at the existing facility and possibly constructing an additional structure nearby. Elan focuses on drug development for pain management, cancer, and neurological disorders.
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Bio-Tech Imaging (BTI), based in Frederick, Md., has opened a 33,000-sf production plant in Shreveport. The $15 million facility will produce the company’s “Tagger”AIDS-detection kits. Currently the kits are used for private scientific research. BTI is awaiting FDA approval to extend marketing of the kits to hospitals, doctors, and blood banks. BTI hopes to occupy the plant by early 2002.
Charles River Laboratories International, a provider of contract services and research animals to the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, has a 68,000-sf transgenic facility under construction at their Wilmington headquarters. Completion of the building is anticipated in spring 2002. Demand for the company’s products increased significantly as the mapping of the human genome revealed genetic similarities between mice and humans.
Rigel Pharmaceuticals has plans to relocate from 65,000 sf of lab space at the Britannia Pointe Grand Business Park to a new two-building lab facility at Slough Estate’s 22-acre Shearwater development in South San Francisco. The new buildings, which will total 140,000 sf, will begin construction this year. Rigel, whose focus is fluorescent gene marking, anticipates relocating to the new complex in 2002. Completion of the entire seven-building, 570,000-sf Shearwater development is anticipated by summer 2004.
Schering-Plough plans to renovate and expand its mixed-use pilot plant and lab buildings at its campus in Union, consolidating several research groups currently spread throughout the existing 35,000-sf building. Renovations will include a new chiller plant, new entrance and loading dock, new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and control systems throughout the building. Renovation of exterior cladding to permit more natural light in labs and support spaces, and replacement of existing floors with concrete slabs will also be part of the project.
Dow Chemical Co., based in Midland, Mich., is planning to transform a 55,000-sf facility previously occupied by Collaborative Group Ltd.’s Biotechnology Services Division into a large-molecule drugs contract manufacturing plant to serve the biotech industry. The facility will have a 50,000-liter capacity. World-wide, the capacity to produce large-molecule drugs stands at about 380,000 liters, with a critical shortage of capacity anticipated by 2005.
