Abbott unveils $53 million research facility
Drugs that might treat cancer and other deadly diseases are expected to reach the public faster because of work done at Abbott Laboratories' $53 million research and development facility that was unveiled Thursday.
Abbott's chairman and chief executive officer, Miles White, headlined a dedication ceremony outside the building on the sprawling Libertyville Township campus east of the Tri-State Tollway and Route 137.
Speaking to a group of research and development employees, White said Abbott's future depends on its ability to create new products. He said a deep talent pool in and around Lake County, including scientists at Abbott Park, helped lead to the decision for the new structure there.
"As a global company, we had the opportunity to build this facility just about anywhere," said White, who graciously held in place a wind-whipped Abbott sign behind a podium as he was introduced by another company executive.
Known as the Formulation Development Center, the $53 million Abbott facility is engaged in transforming complex molecules from a laboratory into tablets and capsules. The idea is for those potential oral drugs to be used in pre-clinical and clinical studies to determine safety and intended results, Abbott officials said.
In the sterile, almost hospital-like building, some workers wear sealed white uniforms with a fan and air-intake filter attached. Jerry Parker, an associate director of global clinical supply operations who led a facility tour, said those employees typically rotate in two-hour shifts.
John Leonard, senior vice president of pharmaceuticals, research and development, said the Libertyville Township facility's state-of-the-art equipment provides scientists with a better chance at bringing drugs that work to patients faster.
"Lots of people think that in discovering the drug, the active ingredients are where it starts and stops. You have to almost think of it like a spaceship with an astronaut," he said.
"You have to have a spaceship that surrounds him and protects him all the way to the moon."
Leonard, during his introduction of White, noted for the employees that Abbott's research and development budget has gone from $1.2 billion in 1998 to $2.5 billion this year under the CEO's leadership.
Promising new compounds in the pipeline for hepatitis, Alzheimer's disease and cancer demonstrate the importance of Abbott's new 64,000-square-foot research-and-development structure, which took about three years to construct, said White.
"We don't build a lot of new buildings, especially here at Abbott Park," White said. "But this building was particularly important to us because of its function and because of what it can do for us."