AstraZeneca opens £120 million UK manufacturing facility
pharmafile | December 20, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | AstraZeneca, Macclesfield
AstraZeneca has officially opened a new manufacturing facility for cancer medicines based in Macclesfield, UK. It becomes the second largest site that AstraZeneca possesses globally.
The facility was originally announced in November of 2013 and the decision to invest in the area secured the future of the site, meaning that the current 3,000 members of staff have retained their roles. The site will produce Zoladex, a drug that is used in men to treat the symptoms of prostate cancer and in women to treat breast cancer or endometriosis.
The news is good news in the light of Brexit where companies are beginning to look at scaling back investment and facilities within the UK due to the uncertainty of the deal. Though it had begun in 2013, and therefore too early for Brexit discussions to have arisen, any sign of further investment will be a welcome one for the UK manufacturing industry. AstraZeneca has the second largest presence in the UK behind GSK.
Macclesfield’s Conservative MP, David Rutley, said at the time of the announcement: “It is a real vote of confidence in Macclesfield and in our highly skilled workforce. The decision is a real boost to the local economy and strongly supports the Cheshire Science Corridor strategy.”
Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s CEO, was reported by Signal to have said of the opening: “Macclesfield plays an important role in AstraZeneca’s global operations as our second largest site, with expertise in producing complex and life-saving cancer medicines. I am delighted to open this new addition to our plant, which will allow us to increase production to meet the needs of patients around the world.”
Ben Hargreaves
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