Abbott's New Biotech Facility in Puerto Rico
Abbott recently opened a new biologics manufacturing facility in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico with all the state-of-the-art facilities that a project of this undertaking would need. This new facility has been specifically provided for long-term support for the production of HUMIRA(R), a successful biological agent. Abbott also manufactures Depakote, Synthroid and Biaxin
The increased production in Puerto Rico of this breakthrough product will help keep up with the growing number of patients that are increasingly in need of it. To date, the Abbott Biological Lab in Puerto Rico is one of the biggest facilities providing HUMIRA for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. HUMIRA helps patients with rheumatoid arthritis by improving patients physical function and decreasing the damaged done to the joints.
HUMIRA is the only fully human monoclonal antibody that can deal with these diseases by blocking the protein called tumor necrosis factor alpha when it is produced in high amounts in the body. HUMIRA is used regularly by over 180,000 people and has is approved by sixty-seven countries worldwide.
This new biotech facility in Puerto Rico provides the wonderful opportunity to improve and create new biologic and potent-drugs for use in the future. For the last forty years Puerto Rico has been taking the lead in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and with the help of Abbott and other industry leaders Puerto Rico intends to become the leader in biotechnology as well.
The new plant is about 330,000 square feet in size and has cost Abbott a total of $450 million to complete. This is not Abbott’s first efforts to establish a manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico: Abbott has worked on the island for over thirty years with a facility in Jayuya and a distribution center in Guaynabo. World-wide Abbott employs 65about ,000 people and is recognized in over 130 countries for its medical products.
