WuXi Biologics seals deal for first US production facility
The site will be part of the Worcester, Massachusetts, site known as The Reactory, which is owned by the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC).
WuXi Biologics closed the $1.5m (€1.3m) land deal and plans to build a clinical and commercial manufacturing facility that will become its first biomanufacturing plant in the US, as well as becoming the first tenant of the site.
The facility will cost $60m to construct and will contain 107,000-square-feet of space. The company plans for the plant to be operational in 2022, with expectations that 150 new positions will be created.
Previously, the WBDC announced that the Worcester city council had agreed a 20-year tax increment financing plan for the construction of the facility, allowing WuXi Biologics to save $11.5m over the period. In addition, the company will receive $6m in state tax credits from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.
During that same time, it is expected that the city of Worcester would receive $20.7m in new tax revenue.
The full site at The Reactory covers 46 acres, with a total site space of 470,000-square-foot available for companies involved in biomanufacturing.
WuXi buildout
For WuXi Biologics, the move represents one in a series of investments to create a global network of manufacturing facilities.
Earlier this year, the company acquired Bayer’s drug product facility located in Leverkusen, Germany.
This decision built on a prior move to construct the largest single-use facility in Ireland, whilst continuing to expand in its country of origin, China.
The rapid expansion of its capabilities means that, as of the end of last year, the contract manufacturer was working on 250 projects, spanning preclinical, clinical and commercial stages.
