GSK TO INVEST 500 MILLION EUROS IN FRENCH VACCINE PLANT

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced it will invest more than 500 million euros in its vaccine manufacturing plant in St-Amand-Les-Eaux, France, to increase production capacity in formulation, filling, freeze-drying and packaging, to meet growing worldwide demand for pediatric and adult vaccines. The investment will increase GSK's growing global vaccines network, and the facility is expected to be operational in 2011.

The plant will produce many of GSK's new vaccines, including Cervarix, a candidate vaccine for the prevention cervical cancer, and new vaccine to protect against seasonal influenza. GSK's new meningitis vaccines will also be manufactured at this site together with a pediatric vaccine designed to protect against Streptococcus pneumonia and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

The new site will house a freeze drying plant that will transform vaccines from a liquid into a solid powder to enhance their shelf life and stability. The site will also be equipped with a liquid plant for filling syringes and vials, a packing plant and warehouse, a power plant and quality-control laboratories.