VACAVILLE -- Genentech has announced plans to invest more than $285 million for the expansion of its biologics manufacturing facilities in California, including its Vacaville facility where it will add an estimated 200 jobs.
“This investment and expansion will result in the addition of more than 250 new jobs at the Vacaville and Oceanside facilities over the next four years, bringing the total number of Genentech manufacturing jobs in California to close to 3,000,” said Ian Clark, chief executive officer of Genentech, which is owned by the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY). The company currently employs about 10,000 people in the state.
Genentech reportedly is spending $153 million on the Vacaville expansion alone. With the expansion, Vacaville will be the largest producer of biologic substances for Genentech and Roche and the biggest biotech facility in the world, according to the company.
These investments in Genentech’s biologics manufacturing network will enable the hiring of hundreds of skilled workers, ranging from technicians to scientists and engineers. “California has always had an impressive skilled workforce that has allowed Genentech to hire diverse and talented individuals in various disciplines,” Mr. Clark said. “In recent years California has made great strides toward improving the business environment for life sciences innovation and incentivizing manufacturing. We are committed to working with the state to continue this positive progress and make California an even better place to grow the industry.”
Genentech’s United States manufacturing network spans three locations in California -- South San Francisco, Vacaville and Oceanside -- and Hillsboro, Ore., producing medicines intended for the treatment of a wide range of diseases including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma. When the expansion is complete, Genentech’s Vacaville facility will not only be the largest producer of biologic medicines for the Roche Group but also the largest biotech manufacturing facility in the world.
Biologic medicines are large molecules that are created by biological processes, rather than being chemically synthesized, and are typically administered via injection or intravenously. Roche is a global manufacturer in biologic medicine, with longstanding expertise in biotech manufacturing and has the largest biotech production capacity of any company worldwide.
