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City of Vacaville
Public Information Office
650 Merchant Street
Vacaville, CA 95688
Phone: (707) 449-5371
Online at: www.cityofvacaville.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Contact: Mark Mazzaferro, 707-449-5371
CITY OFFICIALS ECSTATIC OVER ROCHE DECISION TO REACTIVATE
CELL CULTURE PLANT 2 AT GENENTECH FACILITY IN VACAVILLE
Reaction was swift and overwhelmingly positive from several City of Vacaville
officials regarding the news that pharmaceutical giant Roche, the company that
operates the Genentech manufacturing facility in Vacaville, had announced its
intentions to begin operating the company’s cell culture plant, project no. 2 - also
known as CCP 2.
By kicking the plant into operation, Vacaville will be home to the world’s largest
biotech manufacturing facility in the world.
Construction on the facility began in 2006, but when it was completed in 2010,
Genentech decided to hold off on utilizing the facility. As a result, the building and
its equipment has been silent ever since.
The plant is being put into operation to boost Genentech’s ability to make
biologic drugs. According to the National Cancer Institute, a biologic drug is "a
substance that is made from a living organism or its products and is used in the
prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of cancer and other diseases." The effort is
part of an overall $880 million investment by the company in production facilities
in the United States, Germany and Switzerland.
City Manager Laura Kuhn was also pleased that Genentech had made the
decision to activate CCP 2 in Vacaville.
“Genentech has been a premier employer, a wonderful partner with the City
and also a giving sponsor for numerous community events,” Kuhn said of the
biotech’s impact on the community. “Their decision to reuse CCP-2 demonstrates
their commitment to Vacaville. We’re pleased they are here, and equally happy
they have decided to get CCP-2 back online.”
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One council member with a particular interest in the CCP 2 project is Ron
Rowlett. Before being elected, Rowlett worked on the construction of the facility.
“As I was a superintendant working at the facility when CCP 2 was built, it’s
exciting to see it get up and running,” Rowlett said. “I’m excited for the City. It’s
good for our ongoing economic recovery; and it’s putting people to work.”
Council member Curtis Hunt echoed Rowlett’s comments.
“It’s an exciting announcement,” Hunt said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity
for Vacaville, and creates some good jobs for us as well.”
Genentech plans to hire approximately 200 people when the new facility is in
operation. There is no specific timeline for when the plant will begin operations,
but estimates are between 12 and 18 months before the facility is fully
operational.
The jobs, Genentech said in a release late Sunday night, will range from
technicians to scientists and engineers making complex biologic drugs, or drugs
made from living cells, like Avastin — the world’s best-selling cancer drug — as
well as the freshly approved breast cancer drugs Kadcyla and Perjeta.
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