Pharmaceutical

Almac Group broke ground on its $78.5 million headquarters and production facility in Lower Salford Township, Pa., in July of 2008. The 240,000-sf project, which is being managed by Skanska USA, is scheduled for completion in 2010. When complete, the 40-acre site will accommodate a 74,500-sf office building and a 165,600-sf production facility. Initially two divisions, Almac Clinical Services and Almac Clinical Technologies, will be based in the building, and plans are in place for expansion across other divisions at the site.

The Hunan Provincial Government is partnering with Microbix Biosystems to construct an influenza vaccine manufacturing complex in the Hunan Liuyang Biomedical Industrial Park in China. The $200-million jointly-owned project, one of the largest flu vaccine production facilities worldwide, will be managed by Microbix and will utilize the company’s VIRUSMAX technology.

Ark Therapeutics Group opened a $19.1 million GMP-3 manufacturing facility in Kuopio, Finland, in July of 2008. The commercial scale production plant is connected to Ark's existing laboratory suites and will manufacture gene-based medicines. The BSL-2 facility features a 547-sm cleanroom with HEPA air filtration. The duration of construction for the project was three years.

Merck is building a $100 million, 110,000-sf pharmaceutical production facility in the Treyburn Corporate Park in Durham, N.C. Comprised of quality testing labs, a sterile processing plant, and packaging, the project is slated for completion in 2010 and represents the second phase of expansion at Merck’s vaccine manufacturing complex. The first $300 million, 235,000-sf phase was completed in spring of 2008. The third phase, a $300 million manufacturing, warehouse, and administrative facility, will reach completion in 2011.

Gaithersburg-based MedImmune is constructing a 710,000-sf manufacturing complex in Frederick, Md.  Fluor Corp. of Irving, Texas, joined the project team in May of 2008 and will work with Parsons of Pasadena, Calif., the original engineering contractor. The $250 million project broke ground in early fall of 2006 and includes a 331,000-sf biologics production facility with two commercial-scale bioreactors. Occupancy is slated for early 2009.

Boehringer Ingelheim inaugurated the $36 million Global Centre of Excellence for Antiviral Drug Discovery in Laval, Quebec, in May of 2008. Supporting the discovery of treatments for serious infectious diseases including Hepatitis C and AIDS, the laboratory can accommodate 40 researchers. The project construction manager was Kingston Beyers of LaSalle, Quebec.

Eli Lilly dedicated the Bioproduct Research and Development Laboratory in Indianapolis on May 12, 2008. The 475,000-sf, four-story facility will accommodate 500 scientists and staff in 33 labs engaged in biopharmaceutical research. The project represents the final phase of construction at Lilly’s three-building biotechnology complex. The first two phases include a 250,000-sf bioproduct manufacturing plant and a 10,000-sf research support facility, both completed in fall of 2006.

Wyeth Nutritionals has awarded a $400 million contract to a partnership of M+W Zander and PM Group to provide design, project management, and construction oversight for two projects. A 50,000-sm infant nutrition facility will be constructed in Suzhou, China. The $280 million greenfield project is slated for completion in late 2010. In Singapore, a 12,000-sm expansion of an existing facility will reach completion in late 2009.

Pfizer is constructing two facilities in County Cork, Ireland. A $297 million biopharmaceutical clinical manufacturing plant in Shanbally will produce experimental medicines for Phase II and III clinical trials. An R&D center housing 100 employees will be built at Pfizer’s existing campus in Ringaskiddy. Both projects are slated for completion by year-end 2009.

U.S. pharmaceutical company Unigene has initiated construction on a research, development, and manufacturing facility in Shijiazhuang, China. The project is part of a joint venture with state-owned Chinese pharmaceutical company Shijiazhuang Pharmaceutical Group Corporation, its subsidiary China Pharmaceutical Group, and NBP Pharmaceutical Company.

The University of New England (UNE) broke ground on an academic and research facility for its College of Pharmacy in April of 2008. Located at UNE's Westbrook College Campus in Portland, the 48,000-sf project will house laboratories for pharmaceuticals and sterile products, pharmacy practice rooms, classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, a drug information center, and a 10,000-sf research floor. Completion is slated for summer of 2009. LEED certification will be sought for the project.

Alcon will break ground in 2009 on a 250,000-sf pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Singapore. The facility will be sited on 20 acres in the Tuas Biomedical Park and will employ 150 workers. The plant is expected to begin operations in 2012. Alcon, based in Huenenberg, Switzerland, researches and manufactures pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment, and devices for the ophthalmic industry.

Sanofi Pasteur broke ground in April of 2008 on a $100 million vaccine research and development facility in Toronto. The project cost for the 15,000-sm building includes $80 million for construction and $20 million for equipment. Completion is slated for 2010.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore dedicated Building Two at its BioPark development in April of 2008. The six-story, 238,000-sf research facility will house tenants including the Institute for Genome Services, Gliknik, Paragon Bioservices, Westat, and the 38,000-sf Baltimore City Community College’s Bioscience Institute. The first two BioPark buildings were developed by Wexford Science & Technology. UMB broke ground on Building Three in spring of 2008. BioPark’s $500 million, 1.2 million-sf campus will be comprised of ten buildings upon completion.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore received $62 million from the state of Maryland in April of 2008 to construct an addition to the School of Pharmacy. The seven-story facility will house four floors of clinical and translational research in pharmacogenetics, nanomedicine, and drug discovery. Featuring technology-rich lecture halls and a patient interaction laboratory, the 92,635-sf project will connect to the existing Pharmacy Hall via a glass pavilion.