Eisai to create $90m oncology unit

Japanese-owned firm Eisai is to invest $90 million in a new oncology unit in the US.

It announced that the new 65,000 square foot addition to Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, will include laboratories, aseptic processing suites and additionally support services. Another $15 million will be spent on a central utilities building to support the new development and existing operations.

In total, Eisai said that the facilities will open up 59 new jobs between now and 2009, and 84 jobs by 2011. The company wants to open the new facilities in three years time.

Lou Arp, vice president of production operations at Eisai, said: “We are excited to expand our operations in RTP, where our high compliance standards will be instrumental for global regulatory approvals and production of our first anticipated oncology product.”

“The exceptional growth of the company, fueled by our talented and dedicated employees, has led us to expand in North Carolina not once, but three times since 2001,” he added.

The existing buildings are currently used to in drug research and development, as well as to manufacture Aciphex and Aricept tablets.

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