Alexion planning $200M expansion of Smithfield manufacturing plant

ALEXION PHARMACEUTICALS Inc. is planning a $200 million phased expansion of its manufacturing plant in Smithfield. / COURTESY ALEXION
ALEXION PHARMACEUTICALS Inc. is planning a $200 million phased expansion of its manufacturing plant in Smithfield. / COURTESY ALEXION

SMITHFIELD – Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is planning a $200 million phased expansion of its manufacturing plant here, to facilitate production of its drug, Soliris, and other products.
The project will involve four phases over five years and will more than double the size of its existing plant, according to a spokeswoman. The facility will increase from 85,000 square feet to 193,000 square feet, said Emily Vlasak, spokeswoman for New Haven, Conn.-based Alexion.
On Monday, the R.I. Commerce Corp. authorized an acre-for-acre land swap of six acres to facilitate the expansion. The pharmaceutical company will gain title to six acres now held by Commerce RI, and leased to Fidelity Investments. It will provide Commerce with six acres in return, according to the documents.
The land exchange will allow the company to create a new access point to its expanded facilities, said Vlasak.
Alexion is not seeking state incentives as part of this expansion, she said.
“This expansion signals our commitment to continue producing life-transforming therapies in Rhode Island, to ensure uninterrupted supply for patients,” Vlasak said, in an emailed message.
The project will not increase the number of permanent jobs at the manufacturing facility, but will result in 400 temporary construction jobs over five years, she said. The expansion is tentatively scheduled to break ground in July.
When completed, the expanded facilities will include laboratory space, offices, warehouses, a commercial production area and a cafeteria.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharmaceutical company that initially located in Rhode Island in the 1990s on a site developed with assistance from Commerce RI.
It employs 300 people in the state, and is Rhode Island’s third-largest biotech employer.
The company is working with the town of Smithfield to complete its approvals for the project, Vlasak said.
The drug, Soliris, is approved in almost 50 countries and is the only treatment for patients with a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. The drug also is approved in 40 countries to fight atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, a genetic and chronic disease that can progressively damage vital organs, according to the company’s website. Both diseases are rare.

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