Gwinnett County officials and a subsidiary of bioscience firm Baxalta on Thursday announced the opening of a new plasma collection center, a facility that will house 50 new jobs.
BioLife Plasma Services collects human plasma, which is used to make therapies for hemophilia and other blood and immune disorders. The center at 3440 Centerville Highway is a $7 million complex, according to news release from the the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce’s economic development arm.
“BioLife is pleased to build a new center in Gwinnett community and we appreciate the support of residents who donate their plasma that is used in life-saving therapies for patients,” BioLife center manager Michael Owens said in the release. “The opening of this location is in an effort to better serve patients who rely on the lifesaving therapies processed from donated human plasma.”
Baxalta, formerly part of Baxter International, is building a $1 billion pharmaceutical plant near Social Circle, east of Atlanta. The company recently announced a deal to be sold to Ireland-based Shire PLC.
At the sprawling plant off I-20 near Social Circle, Baxalta will make plasma-based treatments for patients with immune deficiencies. The treatment takes antibodies from healthy people and replaces what’s missing in patients with weak immune systems.
That plant is expected to employ 1,500 people when fully operational.
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