Company expects to submit Devens site for regulatory approval in 2010
May 2, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — DEVENS, MA — Bristol-Myers Squibb Company executives were joined by Governor Deval Patrick, state and local officials, community leaders and MassDevelopment today for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the company’s new biologics manufacturing facility in Devens, MA. The company announced the selection of Devens in June 2006 and recently began construction at the site.
“The commitment to build this facility represents the single largest capital investment in the history of Bristol-Myers Squibb, demonstrating the critical role we believe biologics will play in the future of our company,” said Jim Cornelius, chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Building this facility provides additional manufacturing capacity to meet future patient need for our biologic therapies and helps position the company for long-term growth in this important area of medicine.”
Bristol-Myers Squibb has committed $750 million to fund the construction of the facility. The new large-scale multi-product bulk facility is modular in design in order to accommodate potential future expansion. Phase I of the project calls for the construction of four main buildings: a manufacturing structure that will house six 20,000-liter cell culture vessels and one purification train, a central utility building, an administrative/quality control building, and a warehouse/storage structure. The facility is projected to be operationally complete in 2009, and the company plans to submit the site for regulatory approval in 2010.
“This Bristol-Myers Squibb facility is an important milestone for the Commonwealth and reflects our continued leadership in biotechnology and the life sciences,” said Senator Edward M. Kennedy. “Its presence in Massachusetts will only boost our ability to attract high quality jobs in the future and remain at the cutting edge of biotechnology for years to come.”
Phase I of the facility will require a workforce of approximately 350 employees. It is anticipated that future expansion of the site, including several additional buildings, could lead to a total of 550 or more employees. Any expansion will depend on both the demand for Bristol-Myers Squibb biologic medicines and regulatory approval of investigational compounds.
The facility will support increased production capacity for ORENCIA(R) (abatacept), the company’s first internally discovered and developed biologic medicine, and also manufacture commercial quantities of compounds currently in development should those compounds receive regulatory approval. The company’s investigational biologic compounds include treatments for certain types of cancers and solid organ transplant rejection.
“Massachusetts has a unique combination of resources, including top-tier educational institutions, a business-friendly economic environment and great quality of life, which attract companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb,” said Gov. Deval Patrick. “We are very pleased with the company’s decision to locate this facility in Massachusetts, and we look forward to continuing a very productive relationship.”
“We selected this site based on a number of factors, including the abundance of biotechnology knowledge, education and training in the Boston area that has created a large and well-qualified workforce,” said Carlo De Notaristefani, president of technical operations, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “We are excited about our future in Devens and becoming a part of the community.”
Bristol-Myers Squibb currently manufactures biologic compounds in a company-owned facility in Syracuse, New York, and finishes and packages biologic compounds in Manati, Puerto Rico. The Syracuse site will remain a key component of the company’s biologics strategy, serving as the center of excellence in process development and early product launch for the company’s biologic compounds. The Syracuse facility was not designed to accommodate large-scale commercial production. The Manati facility, which is also wholly- owned by the company, will continue to finish and package biologic compounds. In March 2006, the company announced a $200 million investment to expand this facility to accommodate increased filling and finishing needs. Bristol-Myers Squibb also has biologic manufacturing agreements with third-party partners Lonza Biologics, Inc. and Celltrion, Inc.
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related health care products company whose mission is to extend and enhance human life.
Source: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
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