ROCKVILLE, Md. – A life sciences market research company published a wiki-style ranking that puts Amgen Inc.’s West Greenwich facility at No. 3 in the world.
The Top 1000 Global Biopharmaceutical Facilities Index lists the world’s biologics facilities by estimates of global and individual facility fixed capacity, manufacturing-related employment, and the number of commercial and clinical products.
BioPlan Associates Inc. said anyone can contribute data updates, but all comments and changes are subject to industry peer review.
Genentech’s Vacaville, Calif., facility earned the No. 1 spot on the ranking, with a score of 363.4 while Amgen’s Juncos, Puerto Rico, facility got No. 2, and a score of 294; its Rhode Island facility took the No. 3 spot and earned 211 points.
Rounding out the Top Five were the Lonza Group Ltd.’s Portsmouth, N.H., plant and Boehringer Ingelheim GMbH’s Biberach, Germany, facility.
Also on the list in Rhode Island were: Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Smithfield at No. 101 with a score of 33.1 and the Dow Chemical Co.’s Smithfield contract manufacturing facility at No. 501 and a score of 5.
“Where biologics are being manufactured can be more important than how much revenue is being earned from them. Manufacturing is a core operation and is a fixed, long-term commitment to a community, an employment base and a strategy,” said BioPlan about its ranking.
“The success of a biomanufacturing enterprise, or biotech cluster, depends as much on its human capital as its fixed capital, and a critical mass of educated and skilled people is needed to establish a viable cluster. Funding alone isn’t enough,” it added.
According to the website, the facilities are concentrated in: North America, 37.2 percent; Europe, 25.8 percent; Japan and “other” Asia, 9.7 percent; China, 8.5 percent; and India, 8.0 percent, and to lesser degrees in other areas.
