Jun 18 2013
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. joined state and local officials in a ground-breaking ceremony today for 100 College Street, a state-of-the-art laboratory and office building that will house the company’s new global headquarters in New Haven, Conn.
Coming home: Alexion Pharmaceuticals breaks ground on its new global headquarters in New Haven, expected to be completed in 2015. (L to R) New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Governor Dan Malloy, Leonard Bell, MD, CEO of Alexion, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Bruce Alexander, Yale University VP, New Haven and State Affairs. (Photo: Business Wire)
The event marks a milestone in the expansion of Alexion’s research and business operations as it continues to develop a broad portfolio of life-transforming therapies for patients. In addition, construction of the new building in the Downtown Crossing section of New Haven is an important step in the revitalization of the city’s downtown neighborhoods.
Alexion will be the anchor tenant in 100 College Street, occupying nine floors. The building is expected to be open for occupancy in 2015.
"Our new global headquarters will support our continued growth as we work to develop and deliver life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and life-threatening disorders that are also ultra-rare,” said Leonard Bell, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Alexion. “We are especially pleased by this step because our return to New Haven is a homecoming for our company, and we are able to take part in the redevelopment of the downtown area.”
When Alexion takes occupancy in 2015, it will mark the company’s return to the city where it was founded more than 20 years ago. Alexion plans to relocate more than 400 employees who are currently based in Connecticut to the new site in 2015. In addition, the company is well underway to adding the 200 to 300 new jobs it anticipated creating when it was admitted to Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s First Five program in June 2012.
Dr. Bell was joined at the groundbreaking ceremony by Governor Malloy, as well as by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and representatives from Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital.
“We are positioning Connecticut as a leader in the bioscience industry, and Alexion’s decision to build their new global headquarters in our state is a clear sign that the future in this sector is bright,” said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. “With our economic development tools, our focus on growing bioscience and technology, and through widely expanding higher education, we will continue to expand bioscience in Connecticut—creating good paying jobs with good benefits. These investments not only improve our economic strength and competitiveness, but also establish important partnerships between our universities, medical centers, and private sector businesses.”
The state-of-the-art 11-story office building is the first building to be erected as part of New Haven’s Downtown Crossing urban revitalization effort. Downtown Crossing is the largest infrastructure activity in New Haven in decades, and is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER II grant, the city of New Haven and the State of Connecticut. It is expected to create 2,000 construction jobs, result in $184 million in direct and indirect spending over the next three years, and create 600 to 900 permanent jobs upon completion. The building is being constructed to be certifiable to an environmental standard of at least LEED Silver.
About Alexion
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on serving patients with severe and ultra-rare disorders through the innovation, development and commercialization of life-transforming therapeutic products. Alexion is the global leader in complement inhibition and has developed and markets a treatment for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), two debilitating, ultra-rare and life-threatening disorders caused by chronic uncontrolled complement activation. The treatment is currently approved in more than 40 countries for the treatment of PNH, and in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of aHUS. Alexion is evaluating other potential indications for its marketed drug and is developing four other highly innovative biotechnology product candidates, which are being investigated across nine severe and ultra-rare disorders beyond PNH and aHUS.