Genzyme says it will double size of its Framingham site

Genzyme has unveiled a major expansion of its manufacturing facility in Framingham, Massachusetts, which suggests that the company intends to avoid any repeat of the capacity shortages that have plagued it in the last 18 months.

The new capacity at Framingham is split between an R&D unit and more manufacturing space and altogether will see the site swell by a massive 757,000 sq.ft, approximately doubling its presence size over the next 10 years and adding another 1,000 staff to its workforce, according to a report in the Boston Globe.

A little over half of that expansion will be taken up by a new R&D facility, with the remainder split between manufacturing suites and additional office space.

The first stage in the expansion is the already-announced construction of a 50,000 sq.ft. manufacturing unit - at a cost of around $300 million - which is due to go live at the end of 2011.

Added to that is 185,000 sq.ft of quality control laboratory space and 400,000 sq.ft. of R&D space, which are scheduled for completion between 2015 and 2018. Another 360,000 sq.ft. of manufacturing, office and parking space could be added before the end of the decade as well.

Back in April, Genzyme chief executive Henri Termeer confirmed that the new bioreactor suite at the plant had already gone aseptic, a critical stage in the gestation of any new biomanufacturing project.

Once online, that facility is expected to compensate for the contamination and other quality compliance problems at Genzyme's plant in Allston Landing, which have played havoc with the company's ability to supply key products such as Cerezyme (imiglucerase) for Gaucher disease and Fabrazyme (agalsidase beta) for Fabry disease.

Genzyme's expansion plans are part of an ongoing project to quadruple capacity across the group by 2012 compared to 2004 levels via an investment of close to $1 billion. The overall aim is to provide ample redundant capacity that can come online rapidly if any future incidents affect its manufacturing output.

Phil Taylor