Genentech grows again in Oceanside

By: BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer | Monday, March 6, 2006 7:58 PM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- Biotech behemoth Genentech Inc. has bought a second Biogen Idec property in Oceanside, increasing its North County presence.

The purchase will add about 60 people to Genentech's Oceanside payroll, the South San Francisco-based company said Monday. Half of the new hires will go to the new property, which Biogen Idec refers to as NICO (New Idec Clinical Operation). Half will join the staff at Genentech's adjacent manufacturing plant in the Ocean Ranch Corporate Centre. Genentech bought that plant from Biogen Idec last year for $408 million.

The 70,000-square-foot facility will also extend Genentech's activities in Oceanside beyond its current role of making Genentech's anti-cancer medication, Avastin. The facility will make new medicines for early stage clinical trials, said Kelli Wilder, a Genentech spokeswoman.

Genentech's Oceanside payroll, which reached 425 as of the end of 2005, is expected to reach about 675 by the end of 2006, Wilder said. The company's stock has a total value of about $88 billion, making it second in value in biotech companies only to Amgen, with nearly $91 billion.

"The most significant thing is that Genentech will use that facility to manufacture products to go into clinical trials," said Joe Panetta, chief executive of Biocom, a San Diego-based biomedical trade organization. That means Genentech will be looking for even more highly qualified employees, Panetta said.

Wilder said the new facility "will require that the employees be highly skilled, with basic skills in biology, chemistry, engineering and biomanufacturing."

Biogen Idec sold NICO to Genentech in February, according to a Biogen Idec statement filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies would not disclose the purchase price for the facility.

The existing plant, referred to as NIMO (New Idec Manufacturing Operation), is being retooled to make Avastin, with production expected by next year. The existing manufacturing plant remains committed to Avastin manufacturing, Wilder said, but will now also perform "process development." This means that methods of biotech manufacturing will be designed and perfected at the plant.

Both facilities are collectively referred to as Genentech's Oceanside campus, Wilder said.

The NICO facility had been shut down by Biogen Idec about two years ago, said Jose Juves, a Biogen Idec spokesman. Juves said the company is also trying to sell two land parcels it has in Oceanside, totaling 28 acres.

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.

Related links


By:http://www.gene.com - http://www.oceansidebiotech.com

Previous stories


Genentech buying Biogen Idec's Oceanside plant

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/06/17/news/top_stories/15-15-2206-16-05.txt

Genentech no stranger to San Diego

http://californian.com/articles/2005/06/26/business/news/10_35_076_25_05.txt

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.