Takeda’s Life-saving Therapies Emerge from Georgia Life Sciences Ecosystem
To most of us, the word “ecosystem” conjures up visions of nature: an intricate biological landscape of plants, wildlife and the weather that helps them thrive.
But it can also mean a complex, interconnected and interdependent business system, and it’s that kind of ecosystem that has helped Takeda thrive in Georgia.
Takeda, headquartered in Japan, is a top 10 global biopharmaceutical company with a significant presence in Georgia. Takeda’s more than $1 billion, 1 million-square-foot facility east of Covington, near Atlanta, manufactures two types of plasma-derived therapies used to combat more than 400 kinds of primary immune deficiency diseases: rare, genetic disorders that impair the immune system. The site is committed to increasing capacity of these life-saving therapies in the U.S. market.
“Thanks to the great team we’ve developed and the resources Georgia has provided, we’ve been able to exceed our projected production volumes,” says Carlos Soto, vice president of manufacturing operations for Takeda. “It’s not just the specialized workforce we need, it’s the whole life sciences ecosystem here and knowing the state is focused on making a difference in healthcare globally.”
In April 2020, Takeda and CSL Behring co-founded the global CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance to unite leaders in the plasma industry in the fight against COVID-19. CoVIg-19, the Alliance’s investigational hyperimmune globulin (H-Ig) medicine, is manufactured at the facility. CoVIg-19 is derived from the plasma of COVID-19 survivors, some of which was donated at Takeda’s BioLife Plasma Services plasma collection facilities in Georgia (centers are in Augusta, Columbus, Douglasville, McDonough, Morrow, Savannah, Snellville and Warner Robins).
Takeda is part of the thriving life sciences industry in Georgia, which includes almost 2,000 establishments and more than 194,000 jobs. The industry is a driver in the state’s innovation economy, contributing $21.8 billion in GDP in 2018. Georgia is home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as CARE, The Carter Center, the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation, the Task Force for Global Health and numerous research universities.
“We hire bioscience graduates from the state’s universities and technical colleges, and work with the K-12 system as well as college and career academies to develop bioscience pathways,” says Soto. “Georgia has a strong, healthy mix of research institutions, laboratory environments, graduate level STEM education and other companies in the life sciences business.”
Through Georgia Bio, a nonprofit supporting the state’s life sciences industry and its Georgia BioEd program, Takeda helped kick off a training initiative to give rural K-12 science teachers additional resources for STEM teaching opportunities.
In addition, Georgia Quick Start, the state’s workforce training program, has been instrumental to the company’s success, developing customized training curriculum. Next to Takeda, Quick Start built and operates the Georgia Bioscience Training Center, a high-tech center used by Takeda and available to future life sciences companies to train workers on specific equipment and processes.
“It was a heavy lift, but they do a great job, particularly in understanding the challenges of running an FDA-approved facility,” says Soto. “It’s a complex journey and we’re still ramping up to full capacity and even finding ways to go beyond the initial design capacity at this amazing facility. The state has been immensely helpful throughout the process, especially the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), which has helped connect us with other partners. Hiring a thousand people is no easy feat, but the Department of Labor helps recruit them and Quick Start trains them.”
Soto believes GDEcD’s Georgia Made™ program, which provides additional support in logistics, manufacturing and marketing of products produced in Georgia, will help Takeda achieve brand recognition in its adopted state.
“Sometimes you miss what’s in your backyard,” he says. “People don’t realize the broad range of skill sets in Georgia, especially in life sciences. We appreciate Governor Kemp’s push to raise awareness of Georgia manufacturing. The Georgia Made program will help people understand more about what we do and assist us in recruiting. Our employees are proud to be doing meaningful work and now they have a bigger platform to share that pride.”
Takeda also supported GDEcD’s efforts in attracting Facebook to locate a facility nearby, leasing an area of its property to the social media giant for construction parking and trailers and enabling Facebook to meet its aggressive timelines.
“Partnership goes both ways,” says Soto. “We’re happy to talk to the State’s clients and share our experiences. We love seeing Facebook across the street and its impact on the community. This was a win-win.
“We’re a value-based company in how we make decisions. Georgia has a strong business climate and strong partnerships. Workforce and logistics only matter if you can tap into them, and Georgia makes that happen. Georgia will help you find the right organization, the right group, to talk to so you can form those partnerships.”
Consistently ranked the “#1 State for Business,” Georgia’s skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure, low taxes, high state credit ratings, and development resources are here to help you start and grow your business. Visit Georgia Made™ to take the next step in expanding your success.