Sanofi-aventis Begins Construction of $60 million LEED-Certified Pharma Research Center in Arizona

---

Reported by Annette Kreuger, Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Determined to remain one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, France's sanofi-aventis (NYSE:SNY ) has begun construction on a $60 million research center in Oro Valley, Arizona. As reported in June 2006 by Industrial Info's Pharmaceutical Tracker the company purchased an 11-acre site in Innovation Park to construct the 110,000-square-foot facility, which will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards to help ensure a constant supply to the company's drug pipeline.

Chestnut Construction (Tucson, Arizona) will oversee construction of the newest sanofi-aventis research center. After the project is complete in 2009, the approximately 65 employees working at the company's existing 35,000-square-foot site in Tucson will transfer to the new site, to be joined by the additional 40 researchers that are expected to be hired. The Staubach Company (Addison, Texas) was contracted by the company to help select and purchase the project site for $3 million. Keeping its operations in the Tucson area was an important consideration in order to avoid disrupting the lives of its current Arizona workforce.

Research at the new center will continue to focus on early stage drug development for sanofi-aventis, which has a wide portfolio with products ranging from vaccines to over-the-counter drugs. The Tucson operation began as the Selectide Corporation, which was founded in 1990 by four University of Arizona professors. After several changes in ownership over the years, a subsequent series of mergers and acquisitions led to its current ownership by what became sanofi-aventis in 2004.

View Plant Profile - 1069250
View Project Report - 43000586

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading marketing information services company for the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy-related markets throughout the world. For more than 24 years, IIR has provided accurate and timely intelligence through products such as plant and project information databases, focused market databases, industry forecasting, key industry contacts, industry and territorial map products, direct marketing services and applications, and daily industry news.