Amgen to build first-of-its-kind biomanufacturing plant in the US
Revolutionary, innovative plant offers greater flexibility, speed and efficiency.
Amgen has announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art next-generation biomanufacturing plant at its campus in West Greenwich, RI. The new plant, the first of its kind in the US, will employ Amgen's proven next-generation biomanufacturing capabilities and manufacture products for the US and global markets.
A next-generation biomanufacturing plant incorporates multiple innovative technologies into a single facility, and therefore is built in half the construction time with approximately one half of the operating cost of a traditional plant. Next-generation biomanufacturing plants require a smaller manufacturing footprint and offer greater environmental benefits, including reduced consumption of water and energy and lower levels of carbon emissions.
"Amgen has three decades of experience in biologics manufacturing, and we are proud of our track record of providing a reliable supply of high-quality medicines for patients around the world," said Esteban Santos, executive vice president of Operations at Amgen. "We are pleased to build the first commercial scale, next-generation biomanufacturing plant in the US, leveraging Amgen's capabilities and incorporating the latest technologies."
A comprehensive evaluation of global locations was conducted to select the location. Following recent US federal tax reform, which provides company incentives to invest in innovation and advanced technologies, Amgen made the decision to locate the new plant in the US. Rhode Island was selected based on the historical success of the Amgen West Greenwich manufacturing facility, its capabilities and talented workforce, and quality of living for staff and potential to grow. The biomanufacturing plant will be built on the current Amgen Rhode Island 75-acre campus and is expected to create approximately 150 additional highly-skilled manufacturing positions and approximately 200 construction and validation jobs.
"I am thrilled that Amgen is planning to expand and bring new, highly skilled jobs to Rhode Island and further enhance the State's life sciences community and manufacturing expertise," said Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. "We welcome Amgen's future healthcare advancements for patients around the world that will come from this new biomanufacturing plant."
Amgen opened its first next-generation biomanufacturing plant in Singapore in 2014. This type of plant offers a highly flexible, modular design which can be replicated in future facilities, which enables Amgen to increase production capabilities reliably with greater speed, productivity and flexibility. Within the plant, the equipment is portable, smaller and disposable, which provides greater flexibility and speed when manufacturing different medicines simultaneously. This eliminates costly and complex retrofitting inherent in standard facilities and allows Amgen to respond to changing demands with increased agility, ultimately impacting the speed at which a medicine is available for patients.
"We are excited that Amgen Rhode Island was chosen as the location to build the new biomanufacturing plant," said Tia Bush, vice president of Operations at Amgen Rhode Island. "It is a testament to our skilled, dedicated workforce and Amgen's continued presence in Rhode Island, which will enable ongoing collaborations with local academic institutions and the broader Rhode Island community."
Related News
-
News Pharmapack Awards 2024 Patient-Centric Design Award Winner – Dr Ferrer BioPharma
The 2024 Pharmapack Awards celebrated the best in innovation and design for the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery industry on January 24, 2024. -
News Women in Pharma: Minding the Gap at Pharmapack 2024
2024 marks the first year Pharmapack will host a Diversity track dedicated to bridging the gap within the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery sector. The track includes a panel discussion on 'Enabling Diversity in the Workplace,' focused... -
News Pharmapack Awards 2024 - Celebrating Packaging and Drug Delivery Innovation
The 2024 Pharmapack Innovation Awards ceremony celebrated the best in pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery innovation at all levels. The awards were held on January 24, 2024 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. -
News 2024 Pharma Industry Trends Outlook: Collaboration, Market Maturity, and Digital Futures
The annual CPHI Online 2024 Pharma Trends Outlook, in partnership with Arvato Systems, identifies 12 key industry trends shaping the life sciences industry in the coming year. -
News New Novo Nordisk AI hub for drug discovery to open in London, UK
Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk will be opening an AI-based research facility in the heart of London to advance drug discovery operations. -
News BioNTech to begin mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Rwanda by 2025
German biotechnology company BioNTech has stated their intentions to begin production at their mRNA vaccine factory in Rwanda by 2025, which will mark the first foreign mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent of Africa. -
News Women in Pharma: Looking back on 2023 and moving forward to 2024
In this monthly series, we interview women from across the pharmaceutical industry and supply chain to discuss the importance of gender diversity in healthcare, the workplace, and beyond. -
News CPHI Barcelona 2023: Partnering for Success – Managing Outsourcing Relationships to Optimise Manufacturing Operations
During CPHI Barcelona 2023, insightful content sessions offered attendees the chance to explore trending topics with expert speakers and panellists. Here, we summarise what the pharma industry and supply chain are talking about the most.
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance