Pharmaceutical

Merck broke ground in August of 2014 on a $108 million pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Nantong, China. Located in the BioSpark development, the 430,560-sf facility will produce therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, thyroid disorders, and diabetes. The highly efficient project is designed to minimize waste during the manufacturing process. Completion is expected in 2016 with commercial operations commencing in 2017.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital is partnering with the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Children’s Hospital to build the $40 million Institute of Translational Medicine. The 64,600-sf clinical research facility will include an early-phase trial unit and a pharmaceutical development hub, as well as housing the Rare Disease Centre. General contractor VINCI Construction was awarded a $17.6 million contract to renovate existing space at the hospital to accommodate the facility. Occupancy is expected in June of 2015.

Parkview Health is building the $20 million Mirro Center for Research and Education in Fort Wayne, Ind. The 82,000-sf translational research facility will accommodate clinical trials for pharmaceutical products and medical devices, as well as housing instructional space and a simulation training suite. The building will provide labs, offices, conference rooms, and an auditorium. Completion is expected in early 2015.

Merck will begin construction in August of 2014 on a 430,000-sf pharmaceutical production plant in Shanghai. The $107 million facility will manufacture drugs for diabetes as well as thyroid and heart conditions. Completion is expected in 2016 and commercial production will begin in 2017.

The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (TRI) is a unique stand-alone hospital-like facility that offers rare proof that facility design can accelerate the time it takes to go from new lab discovery to patient treatment. Utilizing a core-based model that includes imaging, pharmacy, kitchen, and lab cores in one location, the facility focuses on fast-tracking functional treatments for diabetes and obesity.

Purdue Pharma Manufacturing will build a 188,000-sf production plant in the Treyburn Corporate Park in Durham, N.C. The project will provide cleanrooms with epoxy-coated floors, walls, and ceilings for the manufactucture of oral solid dosage products. The facility will also include offices, labs, conference rooms, and training areas. The general contractor is KBR Building Group. The facility is part of Purdue Pharma's planned $59 million investment in the Durham site over the next three years.

United Therapeutics is planning to build a biomedical R&D facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Comprising 250,000 sf of new construction and 150,000 sf of renovated space, the project will provide vivarium space for pigs and xenotransplantation research laboratories. The facility will enable the creation of genetically modified pig embryos which grow to be born with human lungs that can be harvested for transplants and tissue grafts.

NanoViricides has completed its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Shelton, Conn. Designed by Id3A, the renovation project created research labs, offices, and cGMP cleanroom suites for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in an existing 18,000-sf facility. MPH Engineering was the project manager and engineering consultant. Construction began on the facility in August of 2013 and validation commenced in June of 2014.

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is partnering with Wuhan Frasergen Bioinformatics to create a biomedical research center in Wuhan, China. The facility will support the transfer of basic research to clinical care to provide personalized medicine solutions for cancer and hereditary diseases. JAX's immunocompromised mice will be used as hosts for tumors donated by Chinese patients to enable the development of pharmaceutical therapies.

The University of Buffalo's John & Judith Kapoor Hall, the former Acheson Hall, was completely gutted and renovated, including interior walls and HVAC systems, to bring the building and its technologies into the 21^st century for the School of Pharmacy. The 160,000-sf building was originally constructed as a chemistry building in 1959, with additions in 1962 and 1963.

WuXi PharmaTech broke ground in May of 2014 on a production facility for cell therapies in Philadelphia. The 45,000-sf clinical and commercial manufacturing project will feature flexible cleanrooms in a modular building design. Located in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the cGMP facility is expected to begin production in the second quarter of 2015.

Novartis opened a $200 million facility in Singapore in April of 2014. Located in the Tuas Biomedical Park, the 330,000-sf building will accommodate pharmaceutical manufacturing operations for Novartis’ Alcon eye care division. The facility will support the production of drugs for glaucoma, allergies, and other conditions.

Pfizer opened the $30 million New Product Technology Laboratory in May of 2014 in Ireland. Located at Pfizer’s Ringaskiddy campus, the facility will produce advanced therapeutics for cancer, high cholesterol, and related health conditions.

Southern Research Institute, in collaboration with Galveston National Laboratory, announced in April of 2014 that they have developed a semi-automated high-throughput screening (HTS) platform that is capable of testing 10,000 compounds per day within BSL-4 biocontainment conditions. The methodology was developed studying the Nipah virus and may contribute to the successful identification of compounds with antiviral activity.

MPI Research opened the 10,000-sf Translational Imaging Center in May of 2014 in Mattawan, Mich. Created in partnership with 3D Imaging and inviCRO, the two-story facility will support advanced drug discovery research by providing molecular imaging, autoradiography, and animal modeling in a single location. The project is designed to expedite the translation of preclinical data into clinical data to mitigate risk in the pharmaceutical development process and includes a cyclotron and a vivarium.