Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Dendreon Corporation, a Seattle-based biotechnology company, will locate a new $70 million manufacturing facility in Union City. The company expects to manufacture PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) for patients with advanced prostate cancer. PROVENGE is currently under review by the FDA, and should the product receive approval, the manufacturing plant could generate several hundred new biotechnology jobs in the Atlanta region.
“Hosting the 2009 BIO International Convention in May introduced biotechnology companies like Dendreon Corporation to Georgia’s business assets,” said Governor Perdue. “Our state’s world-class healthcare institutions and hospitals enable companies like Dendreon to conduct clinical research and engage in product development while benefiting from the vast scientific resources that Georgia has to offer.”
Dendreon plans to locate in a 160,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the Majestic Airport Center in South Fulton County. Pending FDA approval, the company will produce PROVENGE, a new treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer, at the facility. Dendreon plans to launch PROVENGE from its existing facility in Morris Plains, N.J. and ramp up manufacturing capacity at its facilities in Union City and in California.
“We are pleased to announce that we are expanding our manufacturing capacity with the addition of two new facilities in Atlanta and Los Angeles,” said Mitchell H. Gold, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Dendreon. “We have particularly enjoyed partnering with the state of Georgia, Fulton County officials and the local community during this process and are grateful for their partnership and support as we prepare to commercialize PROVENGE to help the many patients with advanced prostate cancer who currently have few appealing treatment options.”
"It is exciting news for Atlanta that Dendreon is locating its manufacturing facility here as it will help to attract other cancer research and production facilities to Georgia," said Otis W. Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer, American Cancer Society.
“We are pleased to welcome Dendreon to Union City, and we have done a lot to prepare our community for economic development,” said Union City Mayor Ralph Moore. “Union City is poised, with its Opportunity Zone and strategic location on Interstate 85, to be a key player in the Southeast as well as the United States. “
“Dendreon is the type of innovative company that is increasingly finding a home in Fulton County,” said Fulton County Commission Chair John Eaves. “In today’s knowledge-based economy, it’s important to cultivate high-paying jobs for our citizens and we have the perfect environment for growthin South Fulton.”
Carol Henderson and Annie Marie Baxter, project managers with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, assisted the company in its location.