BeiGene opens $800m NJ facility to boost cancer therapy

Announced in 2021, the Massachusetts-based firm entered into a purchase agreement to acquire a site at the Princeton West Innovation Campus. The 42-acre facility will expand the production of complex biologics, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) like BeiGene’s PD-1 inhibitor TEVIMBRA (tislelizumab-jsgr) as well as its pipeline of innovative therapies.

The facility will focus on small-molecules and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) manufacturing, creating hundreds of jobs by the end of 2025.

“The site hosts manufacturing equipment adhering to the highest standards, including the latest bioreactors, media preparation tanks, and ASRS (Automatic Search & Retrieval System) for the warehouse,” a spokesperson for BeiGene told BioProcess Insider.

“The Hopewell facility allows us to manufacture our biologics medicines at scale, helping to lower the cost and time associated with manufacturing while ensuring the highest quality. Our Hopewell facility will be a clinical R&D center of excellence with an emphasis on late-stage R&D capabilities and not preclinical research at this time. By 2025, we expect to create hundreds of full-time skilled jobs at the site and will expand as our portfolio of medicines grows. We are finalizing our hiring plans at this time.”

BeiGene has over 30 molecules at clinical or commercial stage, and this facility will allow flexibility as the pipeline continues to mature. This expansion aids the firm’s late-stage research and clinical-development capabilities to develop affordable and accessible treatments for cancer patients worldwide.

“We established the infrastructure to support different scales and modalities to allow faster and easier tech transfer of products within our industry-leading pipeline. With our manufacturing knowledge and experience from existing facilities globally, we have a proven track record to support different markets for our patients,” the spokesperson added.

“Like many companies, we are regionalizing our manufacturing capabilities to enable resilience. By establishing a significant presence in the US, we expand our capacity, add redundancy and resiliency, and accommodate the significant growth in our current and future portfolio of medicines.”

The financials of this expansion were not disclosed.