BD made strategic investments in 2008 to increase manufacturing capacity to help meet growing worldwide demand for its innovative technologies and products. Below are just a
few examples of expansion projects BD undertook or completed this year. Each demonstrates the Company's commitment to providing customers with high-quality products
that enhance the discovery and development of new medicines, the detection and diagnosis of infections and disease, and the safe and effective
delivery of medicines.
Miami, Florida -
Enabling discovery and development
BD announced plans to open a dedicated animal-free/ antibiotic-free
AF2 Facility for
the production of cell culture media and supplements by late 2009. This new $53 million facility will serve the needs of pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies that require high-performance cell culture media products for the production of biological medicines, vaccines and stem cell therapies. With
stringent raw materials controls and product segregation that are designed to eliminate
the risk of contamination associated with cell culture media from facilities using animal-origin components, the
AF2 Facility will set a new standard for safety and quality.
Québec, Canada -
Improving detection and diagnosis
BD opened a new $34 million manufacturing facility in Québec to help meet anticipated
global demand for
BD GeneOhm molecular assays. The
BD GeneOhm MRSA Assay - now used in more than 400 hospitals in the U.S.,
Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific - is the primary product manufactured in this facility. In addition, the Quebec facility is
currently producing
BD GeneOhm assays for the detection of methicillin-sensitive
Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci,
Clostridium
difficile and Group B streptococci.
Tatabánya, Hungary - Enhancing drug delivery
BD announced a €100 million capital investment project to build a state-of-the-art prefillable syringe manufacturing facility in Tatabánya,
Hungary, which is expected to open in 2010. The new high-volume manufacturing facility will help BD meet the growing worldwide demand for prefillable syringes that are sold to pharmaceutical
companies. The prefilled syringe format has been found to reduce the potential for medication error and contamination.