The parenteral facility will be transferred immediately upon closing of the transaction while the oral solid-dose facility will be transferred after the expiration of an existing short-term lease.
“Biogen will continue to manufacture AcipHex/Pariet (rabeprazole sodium), Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride) and Banzel (rufinamide) for the Americas and Europe as well as Lunesta (eszopiclone) for the Japanese market,” Eisai spokeswoman Suzanne Grogan told us. “Biogen will now also take over the global manufacture of Halaven (eribulin mesylate) at the RTP site and provide capacity for the manufacture of clinical trial materials.”
Grogan added that about 35 employees will be laid off as a result of the transaction, and about 100 employees will be offered jobs with Biogen when the deal closes, though that “may change once Eisai and Biogen finalize their organizational structures.”
As the facility shift to Biogen progresses, Grogan said Eisai will continue to base about 45 employees in North Carolina with its global partnership management, quality assurance, supply chain and business support staff for a six-month transition period until it has secured new office space. In addition, the company will continue to manufacture product at its facility in Baltimore, MD.
Lou Arp, general manager of the Eisai RTP site and president of the Global Oncology Manufacturing Unit for Eisai, added: "Eisai and Biogen have had a successful alliance for a number of years. We share a patient-centric culture and have compatible values on how we perform our work. This arrangement is a natural fit and complementary to both companies, ensuring the state-of-the-art RTP facility operates at a higher capacity and jobs stay in North Carolina."