Biotech firm BeiGene closes on 42-acre Hopewell site for cancer R&D, manufacturing (updated)

Global biotechnology firm BeiGene closed on a 42-acre site in Hopewell that will house a sprawling manufacturing and research & development complex to develop, commercialize and manufacture new cancer treatments, the company announced Nov. 23.

The Hopewell location will be the second in the U.S. for the Beijing- and Cambridge, Mass.-based company to “expand and diversify its global supply chain” of medications, and build out manufacturing capacity “for its deep pipeline of biologic and drug candidates,” BeiGene said in a statement.

Situated at the Princeton West Innovation Campus in the Central Jersey township, bioscience companies conduct R&D and drug commercialization operations.

John Oyler, BeiGene’s co-founding chairman and chief executive officer, envisions the New Jersey location as a flagship manufacturing and R&D site in this country. BeiGene has another major site in Cambridge, Mass. and an office in Ridgefield Park in North Jersey. “We are proud to take this next step in our journey to advance impactful treatments and make them more accessible to patients around the world,”  Oyler said.

With the township adjacent to Princeton – and the talent pool at Princeton University, Oyler said BeiGene has begun the hiring process in the local area and across the state.

BeiGene plans to spend “several hundred million dollars” on the site, which will include 400,000 square feet for commercial-stage pharmaceutical manufacturing, clinical R&D and office space, the company said.

Construction will start next year on that first phase and is slated to be finished by 2024 at the latest, with plans for another 1 million square feet of future development.

“With more new companies, like BeiGene, coming into the Princeton West Innovation Campus, Hopewell Township’s future as a leader in the biotech base continues to come to fruition,” said Hopewell Mayor Julie Blake, calling the move a “win-win” for the township.

“We are proud that those medicines will be manufactured right here.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:40 p.m. EST on Nov. 23, 2021 to include that BeiGene has headquarters in Beijing and Cambridge, Mass.