Brian Britson is vice president of site operations at Amgen Rhode Island. After helping to launch the company 20 years ago, Briston spent time at Amgen Inc.’s Thousand Oaks, Calif., facility before returning to Rhode Island two years ago.
Speaking with PBN, Britson looks back on the manufacturer’s history in Rhode Island in anticipation of its upcoming 20th anniversary celebration, which will be held on-site on July 21.
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PBN: What did Amgen look like when it first launched 20 years ago in Rhode Island, and how does that compare to current operations?
BRITSON: The Amgen Rhode Island site was acquired in July 2002. To give you a visual of how the site looked then, there were trailers that were converted into offices and our staff worked in these trailers until our buildings were constructed. Now, we have seven buildings total that consist of two plants, admin space, central utility building, a warehouse and quality labs with over 1,000 people on-site.
At that time of the acquisition, teams in the existing manufacturing facility worked feverishly to ensure supply for Enbrel patients, while in parallel, separate teams worked to bring significant capital investments to life, including a new large-scale fed batch manufacturing facility, warehouse, quality control labs, central utility building and administrative buildings.
PBN: What specific changes stand out to you as the most significant in Amgen’s growth in the state?
BRITSON: While the Amgen Rhode Island site has evolved considerably over the past 20 years, it remains a world-class facility while continuing to be the destination for top talent. Central themes for our growth story include our vibrant culture, innovation, continuous improvement and strategic investments. Our culture and people make everything possible. We are fortunate to have so many long-tenured staff with deep expertise melded with new staff who bring fresh perspectives. Significant process improvements coupled with a focus on continuous improvement have enabled the site to transition from single-product focus to multiple products with incredible reliability, efficiency and agility.
PBN: How has Amgen’s new $200 million biomanufacturing plant at the West Greenwich campus impacted the company’s presence or capabilities in Rhode Island?
BRITSON: Our new, next-generation biomanufacturing facility is a “sister” facility to our similar facility in Singapore, and the first of its kind in the United States. Prior to returning to Rhode Island in 2020, I had the opportunity to spend seven years in Singapore as part of the construction and operationalization of that facility.
[The West Greenwich facility] … will add the capability to manufacture a broader spectrum of pipeline products and support volume-driven growth. The new plant uses single-use technology, compared to our traditional plant that uses stainless steel. This new technology allows us to move quicker when producing drug substance that is compatible with this new technology, which allows us to serve more patients.
PBN: How does Rhode Island’s Amgen location compare to other sites in terms of scale and manufacturing capabilities?
BRITSON: Amgen has an incredible manufacturing network that collaborates closely together to ensure we can deliver life-changing medicines to “every patient, every time.” Amgen Rhode Island manufactures drug substance and is home to our network’s largest fed batch biologics manufacturing facility, as well as our first next-generation biomanufacturing facility in the U.S. Drug product and final drug product operations are completed at other locations in our network.
PBN: What about Rhode Island made the state a good fit for an Amgen location? Have these factors shifted over time?
BRITSON: The same things that were important 20 years ago remain important today. The work we do at Amgen Rhode Island has a significant impact, is highly technical and challenging. A business climate that supports innovation is imperative. Accessibility to key diverse talent is critically important. We have strong partnerships with the state of Rhode Island, as well as many of the educational institutions.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Voghel@PBN.com.
