GlaxoSmithKline Invests $139M Into Rockville Manufacturing Facility

ROCKVILLE, MD — The British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline will invest $139 million to expand its Rockville manufacturing site to meet demand for its lupus drug, according to county officials.

This expansion will allow GlaxoSmithKline to increase bulk production of Benlysta — a substance used in many of its drugs — by about 50 percent.

Benlysta is a human monoclonal antibody that was approved for the treatment of lupus by the FDA in 2011, and is the first FDA-approved medication specifically designed for the treatment of lupus.

County Executive Ike Leggett said this decision is "great news for the county."

"Montgomery County is a center for biotechnology research and production and we have worked hard to expand our support for the industry through direct support, partnerships, tax credits, and more," Leggett said in a statement. "Many of the cures and treatments of today and tomorrow are coming from companies just like GlaxoSmithKline.”

Benlysta was co-developed by Human Genome Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline. GlaxoSmithKline first opened a manufacturing center in Rockville after buying Human Genome Sciences in a $3 billion deal in 2012. They then opened a $50 million research and development center at the Rockville campus at 9911 Belward Campus Drive.

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