AstraZeneca acquires Amgen’s biologics unit in US

Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca has expanded its biologics manufacturing capability in the US with the purchase of a high-tech biologics bulk manufacturing facility from Amgen Inc. The company did not disclose financial details of the transaction.

Over time, the LakeCentre facility, located in Boulder, Colorado will increase manufacturing and production capacity to support the company's extensive portfolio of biologics medicines, AstraZeneca said in a release.

The company plans to start staffing the facility immediately to support refurbishment and infrastructure improvements. Once complete, the site is expected to be operational and licensed for commercial production by late 2017, providing for additional capacity within the company's biologics operations.

AstraZeneca plans to expand the site in the longer- term, creating up to 400 highly skilled jobs, subject to relevant approvals by the local authorities. The facility would eventually double the biologics manufacturing capacity in the US to meet the needs of the maturing AstraZeneca pipeline.

Currently biologics make up 50 per cent of the company's pipeline with more than 120 ongoing programmes, including over 30 in clinical development.

''The addition of the Boulder facility will support the progression of biotech drug candidates across our main therapeutic areas as we continue to bring innovative new treatments to patients. This site will play an important role in our future commercial production and give AstraZeneca and MedImmune, our global biologics research and development arm, the flexibility and capacity to meet the needs of our rapidly growing biologics portfolio,'' Pam Cheng, executive vice-president, operations and information technology at AstraZeneca, said.

The new facility in Boulder adds to the expansion of AstraZeneca's biologics manufacturing capabilities, following the planned biologics manufacturing investment in Sweden, announced in May, and the expansion in Frederick, Maryland, announced in November 2014.

AstraZeneca said this investment will not impact the company's financial guidance for 2015.