Pharmaceutical-Biotech 2008 Construction Update: 76 New Facilities Open Doors to $4 Billion of Potential Investment

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Reported by Annette Kreuger, Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--As 2008 winds to a close, the Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry will have completed construction on a total of 76 new plants and research centers across North America. A recent survey of active reported projects in Industrial Info's Pharmaceutical Tracker - Online Database reveals that cumulatively, the projects represent a potential total investment value (TIV) of $4 billion, which includes both original construction costs and possible future phases that are already planned or under consideration. The projects reported include both grassroot facilities as well as major building additions to existing sites.

Click on the image at right to see a breakdown of 2008 plant start-ups in the North American Pharmaceutical & Biotech Industry.

An analytical look at the projects reveals that while the industry only gained one more facility in 2008 as compared to the 75 opened in 2007, the TIV potential took a huge leap of 33%. Up from last year's potential TIV of $3 billion and site average TIV of $40 million, the 2008 figures translate into a site average TIV of $53 million. Sources for the new build activity include private industry, commercial developers, universities and the federal government.

The projects that were completed from January through December 2008 are a diverse group in terms of both size and focus. An important addition to the emerging Houston biotech scene was the opening of the new synthetic DNA plant of Cytogenix (NASDAQ:CYGX) (Houston, Texas) in June. The $4 million facility can produce DNA drug substance for CytoGenix products in development. As reported within Industrial Info's Pharmaceutical Tracker, Houston's KinghamDalton built the plant in partnership with GSL Industrial Partners LP.

In October, Charles River Laboratories opened a $25 million shared-use cancer research support facility. Adjacent to the National Cancer Research Institute in Frederick, Maryland, the building was designed by Philadelphia's L2 Architecture and built by The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company (Towson, Maryland).

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