Home » BeiGene closes on BMS campus; promises jobs

BeiGene closes on BMS campus; promises jobs

by Amie Rukenstein

BeiGene, a global biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing innovative cancer medicines worldwide, made it official Tuesday morning, announcing it has closed on its purchase of the 42-acre former Bristol Myer Squib property on Pennington-Rocky Hill Road in Hopewell Township, now know as  Princeton West Innovation Campus. The site will house BeiGene’s new state-of-the-art manufacturing campus and its clinical research & development center.

The company announced its intentions to purchase the campus August 3, promising that they would recruit hundreds of highly educated workers for high-paying jobs. The exact purchase price was not announced, but company officials said they expect to invest several hundred million dollars into the initial phase of construction.

The facility is expected to include up to approximately 400,000 square feet of dedicated, commercial-stage biologic pharmaceutical manufacturing, including up to 16,000 liters of biologics capacity, along with clinical R&D and office space. Construction of the initial phase is expected to commence in 2022 and be completed in late 2023 or in 2024. In addition, the property has more than 1 million square feet of developable real estate for potential future expansion.

Hopewell Township Mayor Julie Blake said the announcement is great for the community. “With more new companies, like BeiGene, coming into the Princeton West Innovation Campus, Hopewell Township’s future as a leader in the biotech base continues to come to fruition,” she said. “BeiGene’s expertise in developing innovative cancer treatments, combined with their planned state-of-the-art facility, makes this a win-win-win for Hopewell, BeiGene and the millions of cancer patients whose lives will hopefully improve from BeiGene medicines. “We are proud that those medicines will be manufactured right here.”

“We have been working collaboratively with the leadership team at BeiGene towards the redevelopment of the former BMS campus and a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for advanced medicines,” explained Kevin Kuchinski, a member of the Hopewell Township Committee. “Today’s news is a big step forward for Hopewell Township and we are looking forward to welcoming BeiGene to our communit,”

Deputy Hopewell Township Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning added: “We are thrilled to see BeiGene’s news today that they are closing on the 42 acres at the BMS Campus.  Their presence will not only benefit Township taxpayers, but we are proud that their work on advanced cancer treatments will happen right here in Hopewell.”

John Oyler, BeiGene’s co-founder, chairman and CEO, said the facility will be a key part of the company’s continued growth. BeiGene is investing in U.S. manufacturing to further expand and diversify its global supply chain and build new manufacturing capabilities for its deep pipeline of biologic and drug candidates, he said.

“With this property acquisition, we plan to establish a flagship manufacturing and clinical R&D center in the US to diversify our global supply chain,” he said. “We are proud to take this next step in our journey to advance impactful treatments and make them more accessible to patients around the world.”

BeiGene already has employees in the state. Oyler is confident it can find many more.“We have already begun hiring additional colleagues from the deep talent pool in New Jersey and look forward to serving as a member of the thriving Princeton-Hopewell business community,” he said.

Governor Phil Murphy stated: “We are extremely excited that BeiGene has taken the next step in the company’s push to manufacture innovative cancer medicines right here in New Jersey,” he said. “Our goal, since Day One, has been to create an environment in New Jersey that fosters the growth of companies like BeiGene, and we are excited to see what’s next as the company expands.”

This article was provided in part from a press release distributed by BeiGene.

About Us

MercerMe is the only hyperlocal, independent, online news outlet serving Hopewell Valley in Mercer County, New Jersey.

Contact us: [email protected]

Search Our Archives