Roche and its Genentech unit today announced plans to invest more than $700 million in a new manufacturing facility in the U.S. The company plans to build a new 700,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art drug manufacturing plant in Holly Springs, North Carolina. It expects to add more than 400 high-wage manufacturing jobs once operational, plus more than…
Genentech, Sanofi both plan to lay off hundreds around San Francisco
Genentech and Sanofi both plan to make significant headcount reductions in the San Francisco area, according to notices filed in the state of California. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the layoffs. The companies both filed WARN notices to notify the state of their intent to reduce their workforces. Genentech, a Roche unit, will permanently…
Lonza buys Genentech manufacturing plant from Roche for $1.2B
Lonza agreed to acquire the Genentech large-scale biologics manufacturing site in Vacaville, California, from Roche for $1.2 billion. The acquisition will increase Lonza’s large-scale biologics manufacturing capacity to meet demand for commercial mammalian contract manufacturing from customers with existing commercial products, plus molecules currently on the path to commercialization within its network. Lonza’s new facility…
Genentech invests $450 million in Oceanside campus, creating 150 local jobs
Genentech has announced the construction of a new biologics manufacturing facility in Oceanside, California. The facility, located about 35 miles north of San Diego, will use digital technologies to make the production of medicines more efficient and environmentally friendly. The company hails the plant as one of the world’s most advanced commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facilities.…
Purdue University launches institute for advanced manufacturing of pharmaceuticals
Thanks to a donation from pharma industry veteran William D. Young, Purdue University has announced plans to launch a new institute dedicated to furthering pharmaceutical manufacturing to reduce costs and bolster access to new biotech drugs. The William D. Young Institute for Advanced Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals is named after the eponymous chemical engineer, who graduated…
An inside look at Northern California’s growing biomanufacturing hub
Vacaville, Calif. is home to a burgeoning biotech hub. And there’s more to Vacaville’s biomanufacturing industry than Genentech’s presence there. “Genentech is just one of the biotech companies to open in Vacaville,” said Don Burrus, the city’s director of economic development services. “We’ve had biomanufacturers here for almost 30 years.” Genentech set up shop in…
Biotech Agenus acquires 120 acres in biomanufacturing center in California
Agenus (Lexington, Mass.) has purchased 120 acres in the California Biomanufacturing Center located in Vacaville near Sacramento. Agenus specializes in immuno-oncology products, which span checkpoint antibodies, cell therapies, vaccines and adjuvants. Agenus purchased the parcels from A.G. Spanos, a housing developer. Vacaville is aiming to spur the growth of its biotech industry. Currently, the largest…