"During the past 50 years,
Ash Stevens
has grown to become one of Southeast Michigan's largest biotechnology
companies and a pioneer in producing the ingredients found in several
cancer-treating drugs," Ficano told an audience of elected officials,
company employees, and several of Southeast Michigan's most influential
voices in the life sciences, including Dr. Roger Newton, co-founder of
the drug Lipitor and CEO of
Esperion Therapeutics, and Dr. Stephen Rapundalo, President and CEO of
MichBio, Michigan's largest biosciences trade association.
"Today
we thank Ash Stevens, not only for its continued investment in Wayne
County, but for decades of research that have brought scientific
advancements that have truly elevated the quality of life for people
around the world," continued Ficano.
Ash Stevens, the first
business to spin off from Wayne State's chemistry department in 1962, is
a contract pharmaceutical manufacturing company that specializes in the
manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for novel
cancer drugs and other therapeutic agents in development. It shares a
longstanding and successful relationship with the National Cancer
Institute, and has recently received Food and Drug Administration
manufacturing approvals for several innovator drugs, including the APIs
in Velcade, Vidaza, and Clolar, all three fast track approvals.
"For
nearly 50 years we have been building a strong reputation to be a
trusted partner in the life science industry – this expansion is
possible thanks to our commitment to quality, delivery and client
service as well as the forward-looking support of the local and state
government," said Dr. Stephen Munk, CEO,
Ash Stevens.
"We considered locations in other states that were closer to our
customers, but we've always wanted to stay in Michigan and now we are
committed to expanding our workforce and infrastructure in our home
community and state."
Ash Stevens' expansion will increase
production by 50 to 80% and will add 60 jobs at the Riverview facility.
The first phase of the expansion project involves the construction of a
10,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art GMP storage and materials handling
facility to accommodate the company's current and projected increase in
business. Other phases of construction include a new 2,250-gallon
reactor bay with 500-gallon, 750-gallon and 1,000-gallon vessels for the
large scale
Ash Stevens is also consolidating its Detroit laboratories to a single site at the
Riverview location within the next three to seven years.
Todd Fenton is a Senior Executive Project Manager with Wayne County EDGE