U.K. drug maker could add local site

A division of the United Kingdom's third-largest drug maker is considering the Triangle for an expansion that could bring as many as 500 jobs.

Shire Human Genetics Therapies has scouted sites in six states for a new research and development facility and manufacturing plant, spokesman Matt Cabrey said Wednesday. It plans to make a decision in six to nine months.

"Raleigh, North Carolina, clearly was one of the areas that we looked closely at," Cabrey said. "We're still in the very early planning stages and in discussions with a variety of economic development folks."

Winning the Shire division, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., would be a boost to this region, which has a strong reputation in the pharmaceutical industry. GlaxoSmithKline has one of its twin U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park and is expanding a production facility in Zebulon.

Merck is building a vaccine manufacturing plant in Durham, and Novartis last year announced plans for a $267.5 million plant in Holly Springs. Dozens of smaller companies in the region are engaged in research and development.

Given the number of potential jobs, the Shire division likely would qualify for incentives if it chose to come to the Triangle. Novartis, for instance, won $41 million in grants from state and local governments after promising to create as many as 350 jobs within five years.

Tony Gurley, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said he has not had discussions about the Shire unit. Officials with the Department of Commerce could not be reached Wednesday evening, but they typically don't comment on recruitment efforts.

Shire Human Genetics Therapies, better known as Shire HGT, is a division of Shire PLC of Basingstoke, England. The parent company, which employs 3,000 worldwide, including a U.S. work force of 2,100, is probably best known for its drug Adderall XR, which is used to treat hyperactivity.

The company was founded in 1986 and last year had annual sales of $1.8 billion. In February, it agreed to buy New River Pharmaceuticals of Radford, Va., for $2.6 billion to gain control of Vyvanse, a possible successor to Adderall.

Shire HGT specializes in developing therapies for genetic diseases and is logging strong growth. The division now has 500 employees in Massachusetts and expects the number to double during the next five years.

"We're growing rapidly," Cabrey said. That growth is driven by a strong pipeline that the company expects to put more drugs on the market within five years.

The company will maintain its Cambridge facility, no matter where it chooses to expand, Cabrey said. The new operation would be complementary.

In addition to North Carolina, Shire HGT is considering sites in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and three other states where its parent has offices.