AstraZeneca Tight-Lipped on New UK Manufacturing Plant
Cheshire East Council approved last week an application registered in June for AstraZeneca to build a 6,668m2 facility in the North England market town, which is home to the Pharma Giant’s second largest global manufacturing site.
In a statement sent to in-Pharmatechnologist.com, the firm confirmed it had submitted the planning application to the Council in order “to assess whether this is an acceptable location for possible future expansion.
“As our second-largest manufacturing site we regularly review our activity here and this is just one of a number of options we are looking at as part of our general planning,” it said.
According to the planning approval document, the proposed development would provide a replacement for a finished formulation facility currently on the site.
A report in local newspaper The Macclesfield Express suggests that the new plant will replace an existing facility that is “reaching the end of its useful life” and predicts that the two sites would operate in parallel for up to two years.
The paper also reported that 36 jobs would be created following this approval and added that AstraZeneca’s commitment to Macclesfield was a boon for the town.
However, when asked by this publication to confirm this, AstraZeneca spokesperson Karen Robinson said: “as the plans are under consideration, we cannot comment further.”
Macclesfield Manufacturing
The site is home to the aseptic production line for Zoladex – an injectable testosterone and estrogen suppressant in the treatment of breast and prostate cancer – as well as making tablet formulations for drugs including Seroquel, Zestril, Accolate and Iressa.
The site, which employs nearly 2,000 people, has had a tumultuous few years with the firm announcing 700 jobs were to go in 2007, with further cuts announced the following year.
Earlier this year, the company’s R&D reorganization suggested some jobs lost at the nearby Alderley Park facility would be absorbed by the Macclesfield Plant.
In March the company received a subpoena from the US Department of Justice’s Attorney’s Office in Boston demanding documents and records relating to quality and GMP from the Macclesfield site. The firm sent the required information and AstraZeneca said at the time it was fully confident in the quality of its manufacturing processes.
