Gilead opens innovative new laboratory
Company announces additional investment in facilities to develop new drugs
Gilead Alberta ULC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilead Sciences, has officially opened the first of two new laboratory buildings at its Edmonton campus, and announced an additional US$100m investment to further expand and upgrade the site as the biopharmaceutical company broadens its pipeline of treatments in areas of unmet medical need.
‘We are pleased to continue our growth here in Alberta, as evidenced by the significant investment and expansion announced recently,’ said Dr Norbert Bischofberger, Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer, Gilead Sciences. ‘Our facility in Edmonton is home to many leading scientists and researchers who are working to improve patient care around the world.’
Gilead Alberta's two new laboratory buildings will allow for around 170 additional highly trained scientists in Edmonton and will enable Gilead Alberta to expand to support the development and production of investigational drugs, supply active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for clinical research programmes and contribute to new product launch supplies in the areas of hepatitis C virus (HCV), HIV/AIDS and oncology. A second laboratory building is under construction and set for completion in the spring of 2016.
The additional $100m investment at the campus will include the construction of a new process tower for API production, a maintenance facility and upgrades to the existing site. The process tower will expand the capabilities of the operations in Edmonton to allow for the handling of more potent compounds.
‘This state-of-the-art research and development facility marks an important milestone for Gilead as it further increases its contribution to Alberta's growing life sciences industry,’ said Dr Robin Nicol, Vice President of Chemical Operations and General Manager, Gilead Alberta ULC. ‘As Gilead expands into new therapeutic areas, the additional laboratory space enables our process and analytical chemistry teams in Edmonton to make an even greater contribution to the development of life-saving therapies for patients.’
