BAXTER TO ADD 200 JOBS FACILITIES IN L.A., T.O. TO BE EXPANDED.

Byline: Chris Sieroty Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Biotechnology giant Baxter Healthcare Corp. will spend approximately $200 million and add 200 jobs to increase production of genetically engineered blood therapy products in the San Fernando Valley area, the company said Wednesday.

The Deerfield, Ill.-based company, the U.S. subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., is seeking approval from the Food & Drug Administration for a $100 million expansion of its Hyland Immuno manufacturing plant in Thousand Oaks where it makes the lucrative recombinant therapy, a treatment for hemophilia.

Last week Baxter sought federal approval to construct an additional production line at the Thousand Oaks facility built two years ago and will make a similar proposal to the European Union by April 30, said company spokeswoman Tali Kaplan.

Baxter expects to apply for a third production line by June and hopes to receive approvals for both by the end of the year, she said.

This will allow the company to triple production of its recombinant Factor VIII therapy. Demand for the recombinant product has doubled in the last five years, said Kaplan.

The expansion will represent an increase of 150 jobs by 2001, bringing the total employee base in Thousand Oaks to approximately 500.

``We will be able to better leverage our manufacturing capabilities, and continue to deliver innovative products to patients around the world,'' Thomas Glanzmann, president of Baxter's Glendale-based Hyland Immuno Division, said in a statement.

Gary Wartik, manager of economic development for Thousand Oaks, said the expansion would be great for the region. The company currently occupies a 100,000-square-foot building on Rancho Conejo Boulevard north of Lawrence Drive.

``The city is always interested in the maintenance of its job base, especially when it contributes to the city's economic vitality,'' said Wartik.

Baxter is also spending $100 million on a new 40,000-square-foot plasma- processing plant to be located next to its facility in Los Angeles. It is expected to be operational in 2003, said Kaplan.

The company will hire an additional 50 employees by the end of the year, she said.

``This investment reflects the tremendous opportunity we see for growth in the biosciences area,'' Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Rocky Delgadillo, deputy Los Angeles mayor for economic development, said officials worked with the company for over a year in an effort to ensure Baxter would locate its new facility in Los Angeles.

``I think it's just another demonstration of the prominence of Los Angeles as a center of the biomed industry,'' said Delgadillo.

Baxter, the world's second-largest maker of medical products, also will invest an additional $200 million to increase its medical-making ability overseas. Blood therapy products contribute about $7 billion, or 30 percent, to the company's annual revenue.

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(color) Baxter Healthcare plans to expand its Hyland Immuno manufacturing plant in Thousand Oaks, where it makes a recombinant therapy for hemophilia.

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