Eisai opens £8 million packaging facility in UK

Japanese drug major Eisai (TYO: 4523) has opened a new facility at its EMEA Knowledge Centre in Hatfield, UK, to handle the packaging of its investigational compound lenvatinib, for the treatment of advanced thyroid cancer.

The center represents a foreign direct investment of more than £8 million (£12.5 million). It features hybrid packaging lines and is designed to cope with difficult-to-handle compounds. The 2,900m2 facility expands the current Hatfield site, which hosts the company’s EMEA headquarters, by nearly 40%.

Haruo Naito, chief executive of Eisai, said: “We are extremely proud of this new development at our EMEA Knowledge Centre. The UK is an ideal location for advanced manufacturing. We are committed to the life sciences industry in this country and it will continue to play a pivotal role in our commercial growth strategy.”