GSK has made a $139 million investment in a biopharmaceutical manufacturing site in Rockville, Maryland.
The site is meant to facilitate the demand for Benlysta (belimumab) for adults with systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as help with a subcutaneous version of belimumab that is being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration.
The investment will mean that bulk drug substance production will be increased by nearly 50 percent. The Rockville site has two FDA-licensed facilities that are run by over 400 scientists, quality professionals and engineers, in addition to other experts in the field.
"We are so pleased that on the first day of Lupus Awareness Month we are able to announce this expansion in Rockville, increasing our ability to provide this important medicine to patients," GSK Vice President for Immunology and Rare Diseases Sheri Mullen said, noting Benlysta is the first medication of its kind to be deveoped in more than 50 years.
Benlysta has grown in demand 18 percent each year since 2014, with $377 million in U.S. sales for 2016.
Alerts Sign-up