BIOGEN BREAKS GROUND ON LARGE-SCALE MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN DENMARK

First Major International Manufacturing Facility will be one of the Largest in the World

04-Apr-2003

Cambridge, MA and Hillerød, Denmark - Biogen, Inc. joined by local and national officials and business leaders, today broke ground on a large-scale manufacturing facility in the Municipality of Hillerød, Denmark. Biogen also celebrated its 25th anniversary. The large-scale manufacturing facility (LSM) will be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world with 90,000 liters of bioreactor capacity. It is also Biogen's first major international manufacturing plant. Biogen expects to invest $250 million (DKK 1.75 billion) to build the 340,000 square foot (34,000 m2) LSM, which is expected to create roughly 200 jobs. The LSM will be used to manufacture multiple products in the company's growing pipeline. Biogen expects construction on the LSM will be completed in late 2005. This project is expected to be the first phase of the company's development in Hillerød. Biogen's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James C. Mullen said, "We are delighted to be building a world-class manufacturing operation in the Municipality of Hillerød that will create hundreds of jobs. Denmark's pro-business environment, highly skilled workforce, and the rich research environment in Medicon Valley make this an ideal place for Biogen to locate its first major manufacturing facility outside of the United States. This new facility will enhance our leadership in biologics manufacturing and gives us greater capacity for producing multiple therapeutics that help improve the quality of people's lives around the world. This important project represents an exciting new chapter in Biogen's history and expands our presence in Europe where we were founded 25 years ago." The ceremony drew many in business and local and national government including Helge Sander, Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation; Stuart Bernstein, American Ambassador to Denmark; Nick Hækkerup, Mayor of Hillerød; and Eva Nejstgaard, Deputy Mayor of Frederiksborg County. Representatives from the Hillerød community also attended. Minister Sander said, "Biogen is the first foreign biotechnology company to establish a major manufacturing facility in Denmark/Medicon Valley, which is a significant contribution to our efforts to bring Denmark to the top of the European bioregions." Mayor Hækkerup said, "Biogen is creating jobs and new opportunities for 200 of our citizens with this first phase of the Hillerød project. I look forward to a continued positive partnership with the company." In addition to the groundbreaking ceremony, Biogen also commemorated 25 years in the biotechnology industry. Founded in 1978 in Geneva, Switzerland by Nobel Prize-winning scientists, Biogen is the oldest independent biotechnology company in the world with more than 2,700 employees worldwide. Biogen, which actively supports science education initiatives, also presented two teachers from Rungsted Gymnasium, a high school in Frederiksborg County, with a trip to the company's worldwide headquarters in Cambridge to visit the Community Laboratory, a state-of-the-art teaching facility on-site. At the Community Lab, area students and teachers participate in labs and workshops that enhance learning in science and biotechnology. The Rungsted Gymnasium teachers will visit the Community Lab during the summer.

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