AstraZeneca to Acquire Amgen’s Colorado Biologics Bulk Manufacturing Facility

AstraZeneca is purchasing Amgen’s biologics bulk manufacturing facility in Boulder, Colo., to support its expanding pipeline.

AZ expects to create up to 400 jobs after the facility becomes operational and licensed for commercial operation by late 2017. The facility will eventually double AZ’s biologics manufacturing capacity in the U.S. to meet company needs, the French drugmaker says.

Biologics account for half of AZ’s pipeline, with more than 120 products, including more than 30 in clinical development.

The companies did not release financial terms of the sale. The deal follows AZ’s $285 million investment in a manufacturing plant in Sweden in May and a $200 million expansion of its biologics manufacturing facility in Frederick, Md., announced last November. — John Bechtel