Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) is investing about $225 million in plants in Puerto Rico, most of it for expansion of production for its Janssen Pharmaceuticals division.
The company will add capacity at two plants in the town of Gurabo and one each in Manati and San Lorenzo, The Associated Press reports, three for Janssen and one for its medical device operation. The investment will add 308 jobs over the next 12 to 24 months, according to a translation from the Puerto Rico publication elnuevodia.com.
The Puerto Rican publication, citing Janssen General Manager John O'Hara, said one Janssen Gurabo plant will manufacture the arthritis treatment Remicade and that production of that drug will be moved from a plant in Switzerland. The facility will be expanded to manufacture other drugs as well. The publication says the Gurabo plants currently manufacture the pain drug Nucynta ER, anticoagulant Xarelto and HIV drug Prezista. J&J is adding freeze-drying technology to the plant for Nucynta. In addition to Gurabo, J&J will invest in the Manati plant with the idea of finding new manufacturing processes for shortening the production cycle of its oral contraceptives.
The company's Ethicon division also will expand production of sutures, and some other medical device products, at a plant in San Lorenzo.
The announcement comes only a couple of months after Johnson & Johnson said it was making technology upgrades at a plant in Las Piedras that makes Tylenol and which is under a consent decree from the FDA. The new technology will result in about 200 job cuts, or about 25% of the workers at the plant.
- here's the AP story
- here is more in Spanish from elnuevodia.com
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