Prolong Pharmaceuticals LLC announced the expansion of its South Plainfield, N.J., manufacturing facility. A new long-term lease on the space adjoining its current facility is adding 24,000 square feet to the existing 24,000 square feet. In addition, the company secured 12,000 square feet of new executive and administrative space in South Plainfield, which will serve as its new headquarters.
The South Plainfield manufacturing facility has been used by Prolong since early 2010 and has been producing large scale biological product in a cGMP environment of Prolong's oxygen transfer agent, SANGUINATE™. “As our clinical plans have advanced, we are executing our facilities plan as well,” said Prolong's president Glenn Kazo. “We secured our initial plant with a long term lease in 2011, and we brought in an industry veteran as head of manufacturing and facilities, Tom Flachmeyer. This expansion and the establishment of our new separate corporate offices is on pace with our strategic schedule.”
“These moves mark the beginning of an exciting new phase for Prolong,” said Dr. Abraham Abuchowski, Prolong’s Chief Scientific Officer and CEO. “Along with this doubling of our manufacturing and administrative space, we expect our work force to grow by approximately 30 percent during 2015.” Dr. Abuchowski said that construction on the new manufacturing facility should be completed by the second quarter of 2015. “We are moving with this construction with our full efforts, and this will be one of the most unique and advanced large scale biological product manufacturing facilities in the world.”
In other company news, Prolong announced an award given to its CSO/CEO. According to a press release, Dr. Abuchowski is considered the "father of PEGylation," the most widely used protein drug delivery system in the world that has helped save and improve thousands of lives, including many with “Bubble Boy Disease.” He will be honored with the 2015 Dr. Sol J. Barer Award for Vision, Innovation and Leadership, at the Gateway Gala, BioNJ’s 22nd Annual Dinner Meeting, Networking Event and Innovation Celebration on Feb. 5 at the Hilton, East Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Barer will present the award.
“Dr. Abuchowski has had a long and lasting impact on biotechnology in New Jersey and beyond,” said Sol J. Barer, Ph.D, the former chairman and CEO of Celgene Corporation for whom the award is named. “Based on the innovative technology of PEGylation that he helped pioneer, Abe founded one of the first successful biotech companies in the state. His vision for the industry helped drive the formation of BioNJ as its founding Chairman and through his leadership he continues to foster research into areas that have the potential to benefit millions of patients around the world.”
For more information visit: www.prolongpharma.com.
