Genentech to close South SF production facility, lay off more than 250 employees, company says

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KGO) -- Biotech drug manufacturer Genentech announced it is closing its production facility at South San Francisco.

The company says it will also lay off about 265 employees who work there.

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Plans to wrap up operations in South San Francisco have been in the works for 15 years, the company told ABC7 News on Monday.

"We are closing our South San Francisco Production facility as part of a long-term strategy in place for the past 15 years to move commercial manufacturing to other sites in our global manufacturing network while focusing clinical supply production in South San Francisco where it is co-located with our R&D organization. This move has been part of our plans for many years," the company wrote in part in a statement.

Genentech said this is unrelated to the current economic climate or tech layoffs.

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The company is now in the last stages of that plan.

"We completed our last production runs a few weeks ago and are now in the process of decommissioning and de-registration of the facility, which will take at least 6-12 months," the company said.

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Genentech has made medicine at the facility for the last 40 years.

"Genentech is proud to have pioneered the processes and technologies to commercially manufacture biologics, which all started in our South San Francisco Production facility back in 1983. Since then, we have continued to innovate the way medicines are made, including taking a long-term view of how we wanted to evolve and modernize our manufacturing capabilities to meet the needs of patients in the future."

"We deeply value and respect all of our employees and their contributions to the legacy - and future - of manufacturing here in South San Francisco. They are integral to our ability to deliver innovative medicines to those who need them, and we are committed to supporting those whose jobs have been impacted during this time," the company wrote.

It has another Bay Area location in Vacaville, according to its website.

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