Genzyme releases update on Allston plant operations

Genzyme has issued an update on the progress of its manufacturing processes and revealed that production at its Allston plant has resumed.

The firm shut down activity at the facility temporarily and has since been working to determine how far its work-in-progress has been affected and which of its products are suitable for release now that production has restarted.

It has taken the decision to discard 80 per cent of the work it was in the process of completing, following the release of its financial results at the end of last month.

This, Genzyme states, will ensure that supply is strong again by the end of the year and minimise risk to the Allston plant as a whole.

Henri Termeer, chief executive of the company, commented: “In the end, we could not take the risk of processing material that has any possibility of re-contaminating the plant. Now that we have resumed production, we are focused on the road to recovery.”

Last month, Genzyme announced that its revenue for the second quarter of its current financial year has risen to $1.23 billion (744 million pounds).