Singapore: AstraZeneca has bought bulk biologics manufacturing capacity from Amgen in US to expand its biologics manufacturing capability.

AstraZeneca plans to start staffing the facility immediately to support refurbishment and infrastructure improvements. Once complete, the site is expected to be operational and licensed for commercial production by late 2017, providing for additional capacity within the company's biologics operations.

In the longer- term, this site could create up to 400 highly skilled jobs, subject to relevant approvals by the local authorities. The facility will eventually double the biologics manufacturing capacity in the US to meet the needs of the maturing AstraZeneca pipeline.

Currently biologics make up 50 percent of the company's pipeline with more than 120 ongoing programmes, including over 30 in clinical development.

Mr Pam Cheng, executive vice-president, operations and information technology at AstraZeneca, said, "The addition of the facility will support the progression of biotech drug candidates across our main therapeutic areas as we continue to bring innovative new treatments to patients. This site will play an important role in our future commercial production and give AstraZeneca and MedImmune, our global biologics research and development arm, the flexibility and capacity to meet the needs of our rapidly growing biologics."