Amgen has announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art “next-generation” biomanufacturing plant at its campus in West Greenwich, R.I. The new plant will employ Amgen's biomanufacturing capabilities and manufacture products for the U.S. and global markets.
A “next-generation” biomanufacturing plant incorporates multiple technologies into a single facility, and therefore is built in half the construction time with approximately one half of the operating cost of a traditional plant. Next-generation biomanufacturing plants require a smaller manufacturing footprint and offer greater environmental benefits, including reduced consumption of water and energy and lower levels of carbon emissions.
"Amgen has three decades of experience in biologics manufacturing, and we are proud of our track record of providing a reliable supply of high-quality medicines for patients around the world," said Esteban Santos, executive vice president of Operations at Amgen. "We are pleased to build the first commercial scale, next-generation biomanufacturing plant in the U.S., leveraging Amgen's capabilities and incorporating the latest technologies."
The biomanufacturing plant will be built on the current Amgen Rhode Island 75-acre campus and is expected to create approximately 150 additional highly-skilled manufacturing positions and approximately 200 construction and validation jobs.
Amgen opened its first next-generation biomanufacturing plant in Singapore in 2014. This type of plant offers a highly flexible, modular design which can be replicated in future facilities, which enables Amgen to increase production capabilities reliably with greater speed, productivity and flexibility. Within the plant, the equipment is portable, smaller and disposable, which provides greater flexibility and speed when manufacturing different medicines simultaneously.
The existing Amgen Rhode Island plant was licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2005 and houses one of the world's largest mammalian protein manufacturing facilities. The facility manufactures commercial and clinical bulk drug substance. Amgen has invested more than $1.5 billion in its Rhode Island site, adding more than 500,000 square feet of manufacturing, utility, administrative and laboratory space to the campus. There are 625 full-time staff members employed at the Amgen Rhode Island campus.