Seqirus Investing $140M In North Carolina Expansion

The expansion will create 120 permanent highly skilled jobs and allow the company to increase capacity manufacturing influenza vaccines for global markets.

Seqirus, a global leader in influenza prevention, will invest $140 million in an expansion of its Holly Springs, NC manufacturing facility. The Holly Springs facility is at the center of a growth plan to meet future demand for Seqirus’ cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc). Seqirus, the largest cell-based influenza vaccine producer in the world, developed the first cell-based influenza vaccine in the U.S. for individuals 4 years and above and an adjuvanted influenza vaccine specifically for those 65 years and above.

Holly Springs, NC
(Photo: Seqirus)

The expansion will allow Seqirus to increase capacity for formulation, fill and finish manufacturing of cell-based and adjuvanted influenza vaccines for global markets. The development will create 120 permanent highly skilled jobs, adding to the current workforce at the site of more than 600 employees. Construction of the new facility is expected to be complete by 2020, supporting increased fill and finish of influenza vaccine doses as well as enabling Seqirus to produce pandemic influenza vaccines more rapidly.

“According to the CDC, the 2017-2018 influenza season in the U.S. was one of the worst in recent years and influenza continues to be a public health threat,” said Gordon Naylor, President, Seqirus. “We are deeply committed to developing innovative solutions, including cell-based vaccines, to help reduce deaths and severe illness caused by influenza. In just three years, we have quadrupled our supply of our cell-based influenza vaccine and this major investment will enable us to meet further demand.”

The Holly Springs manufacturing facility was purpose-built in partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to combat pandemic influenza threats.¹ BARDA is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This public-private partnership is the first in the world to establish cell-based technology as a highly scalable method of production and has the potential to transform the global influenza vaccine market as we know it today.

An event held at the Holly Springs site to celebrate the expansion was attended by CSL CEO and Managing Director, Paul Perreault, as well as community members, public health entities, and state officials including U.S. Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina and Holly Springs Mayor Dick Sears. Senator Burr was the co-author of a significant piece of biosecurity legislation that led to the establishment of BARDA and strengthening of U.S. pandemic preparedness and response.

“Providing safe and effective vaccines to Americans is essential in securing America’s defense against serious public health threats,” said Senator Burr. “Public-private partnerships like these are a winning formula for spurring innovation and new discoveries, improving our readiness for the threats we face today and in the future.”

Seqirus is part of CSL Limited, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The CSL Group of companies employs more than 20,000 people with operations in more than 60 countries. Seqirus operates state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S., the UK and Australia, and manufactures influenza vaccines using both egg-based and cell-based technologies. It has leading R&D capabilities, a broad portfolio of differentiated products and a commercial presence in more than 20 countries.

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