Pharma Company Moves Headquarters To Nutley; 800 Jobs Expected

NUTLEY, NJ — A pharmaceutical company based in Japan has moved its U.S. headquarters to Nutley, a move that’s expected to bring 800 jobs with it, officials say.

On Monday, Eisai Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co. Ltd., announced that the company has relocated its U.S. headquarters to the ON3 campus at 200 Metro Boulevard on Route 3 at the border of Nutley and Clifton.

The former home of Hoffmann-La Roche, the property has been redeveloped by Prism Capital Partners. The 116-acre complex is now home to tenants that include retail clothing giant Ralph Lauren and the Hackensack-Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.

According to a statement from Nutley town officials, Eisai's U.S. headquarters will bring an estimated 800 jobs to the Nutley/Clifton area. At full capacity, the new facility will accommodate 1,300 employees.

According to Eisai’s website:

“Our U.S. corporate headquarters in Nutley, NJ, is the nerve center of a fully integrated pharmaceutical business focused on neurology and oncology. Here, we identify major medical challenges that Eisai is uniquely capable of tackling, set priorities, marshal resources and incite innovation.”

The company says employees are given the flexibility to split their week between working remotely and collaborating in-person at its new headquarters.

“Eisai’s decision to relocate to the ON3 campus is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to New Jersey and to be part of this diverse life sciences hub,” said Tatsuyuki Yasuno, president of Eisai Inc. & Americas Region.

“With a 400-seat auditorium and an Innovation Center at our new U.S. headquarters, we are establishing dedicated space and resources to educate and motivate our employees, as well as a forum to hear from patients, advocacy partners and the community,” Yasuno said.

Nutley Mayor Mauro Tucci said town representatives recently met with Eisai's leadership and were “extremely impressed.”

“We welcome Eisai to Nutley and look forward to working with them to enhance our township,” Tucci said.

Prism Capital trumpeted the move on social media.

In recent months, Nutley and Prism have been engaged in a shoving match around the future of the ON3 campus.

Nutley officials have had high hopes for Prism's redevelopment plan, approving multiple payment in lieu of tax (PILOT) agreements for ON3. But after years of waiting for the campus to build out, officials said the town has run out of patience with the company's "piecemeal" progress and failure to address traffic concerns.

Last November, Nutley officials said they were looking into possibly seizing unused portions of the property through eminent domain, as the project is located in an area in need of redevelopment.

Eugene Diaz, a principal partner at Prism, has fired back at the town's accusations, calling them "lies and falsehoods."

• See related article: Nutley, Prism Trade 'Facts And Fictions' As ON3 Battle Heats Up
• See related article: Nutley vs. Prism: Town Ponders Eminent Domain At ON3 Development
• See related article: Nutley, Developer Butt Heads Over Future Of Ex-Roche Property

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