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news.Sanofi-Aventis and Merck KGaA intend to invest in new drug research facilities in the North American region, reported PharmaTimes.
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Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis, plans to invest C$100 million in a state-of-the-art facility at the company’s Connaught Campus in north Toronto, Canada. The Government of Ontario will chip in C$13.9 million for the construction of the research facility.
The construction of the plant is scheduled to begin in 2008 and the company hopes to complete it by 2010. On completion, the new research facility is expected to work on paediatric vaccines along with pneumococcal protein and cancer vaccines.
On the other hand, Merck, through its US affiliate EMD Serono, proposes to invest $50 million at its Billerica facility near Boston, Massachusetts. The investment involves the construction of a ‘centre of excellence’, which will station 200 scientists working on cancer and fertility treatments. The construction at the new site is expected to begin early 2009 and be completed in 2010.
Fereydoun Firouz, president of EMD Serono, said: “This investment demonstrates the value of our US operations as a crucial component of the global organisation’s long-term success.”