Pfizer launches new research and development site in US

Pfizer has announced the official opening of a state-of-the-art research and development facility at Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The new lab site is leased from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and offers cutting-edge research capabilities for clinical programmes spanning several therapeutic areas, including inflammation, immunology, rare diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and neuroscience.

Covering 280,000 sq ft, the facility brings together 1,000 colleagues from three area locations, allowing Pfizer staff to work in closer proximity to leading academic institutions, hospitals and patient organisations.

The team at Kendall Square will be led by Pfizer's group vice-president of biotherapeutics research and development, Dr Jose-Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos.

Dr Mikael Dolsten, president of worldwide research and development, said the new site launch "represents an important milestone in Pfizer's approach to creating a sustainable research and development engine that is designed to yield a flow of innovative therapies year after year".

The firm is seeking new ways of bolstering its product pipeline and delivering value for shareholders after walking away from a planned takeover of AstraZeneca last month.