Eisai Breaks Ground for R&D Facility

Eisai, Inc. has broken ground for a production and formulation R&D facility for parenteral oncology treatments in Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC. Eisai has a number of drugs in development for patients with cancer and recently entered the market through the acquisition of four oncology-related products from Ligand Pharmaceuticals.

Eisai will invest $90 million in the 65,000-sq.-ft. facility, which will have aseptic processing suites, labs and other support functions. A separate $15 million central utilities building is planned to supply power, steam, chilled water and compressed air to existing and new operations. Operations are expected to begin in 2009, leading to 59 new jobs during the next three years and a total of 84 new jobs in the next five years.

The new facility will support the existing 190,000-sq.-ft. facility, which is devoted to manufacturing Aricept and Aciphex tablets and to formulation R&D and manufacturing of compounds for use in clinical trials.

“The solid growth of the company, which includes an oncology pipeline, has led us to expand our presence in North Carolina for the third time since 2001,” said Lou Arp, vice president, production operations, Eisai. “The new facility is a tribute to our successful history and future plans for production expansion, as well as our commitment to providing a stable supply of high-quality medicines.”