South San Francisco’s biotech corridor continues to grow, and biopharmaceutical company Amgen is opening its long-awaited 245,000-square-foot building that will bring 650 workers to its new location on Gateway Boulevard.
“This commitment and building builds on our nearly 20-year history in this part of the city,” Amgen CEO Bob Bradway said at a grand opening ceremony Oct. 6.
State Senator Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, commended the company for its investments in the industry and South San Francisco, noting that the company plays a large role in developing the therapeutic research and solutions that save lives and make things better of quality of life are required. Becker said the company has a history of philanthropic giving and is active in community programs. At the opening ceremony, he presented Amgen with a certificate of appreciation from the California Senate.
“Together with the City of South San Francisco and the region, we are excited about this new facility,” said Becker.
Located at 750 Gateway Blvd., on the Gateway of Pacific campus, the research and development site is nine stories high and is close to several other major biotech companies, including Abbvie and Thermo Fisher Scientific. In 2019, Amgen announced it had signed a lease with BioMed Realty for the property as it plans to expand and grow. The building will focus on cardiometabolic, inflammation and oncology research, with several modular labs and open workspaces available. The new location is the company’s second largest research and development facility behind Amgen’s headquarters in Thousand Oaks. Sustainability remains a focus and the building has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an environmental certification that recognizes good sustainable buildings. The company said it designed the building to meet its environmental sustainability goals of becoming carbon neutral by 2027 and to be an open workspace to encourage collaboration.
Amgen has a smaller presence at its Veterans Boulevard location, which has been around since 2004. According to an Amgen spokesman, the site will be decommissioned and returned to the landlord. Founded in 1980, Amgen is one of the world’s largest biotech companies.
South San Francisco Mayor Mark Nagales issued a city proclamation that October 6 was “Amgen Day” in South San Francisco for his fundamental community work and dedication to Oyster Point since 2004. The Company donated to Community Civic Campus Program, opening in 2023 The campus will house the city’s future library, community theater, law enforcement dispatch center and city council chambers.
“On behalf of the entire City Council, thank you for giving back and we are proud to have you as a part of the City of South San Francisco,” the mayor said.
Nagales noted that the city was home to more than 200 biotech companies and more than 12 million square feet of research and development facilities, with another 9 million square feet of facilities in the development pipeline.
“We are the largest biotech hub in the world and the birthplace of biotechnology,” said Nagales. “Both of these things are proving to be magnets for biotech companies to locate or locate here. You are exactly where you belong.”
Bradway noted that more than 700 million people over the age of 65 face diseases related to cancer and heart disease. He said the innovation in the new building would seek to address these ailments, with the relocation years nascent and a stellar time for the company and the industry.
“We’re excited about the opportunities we’re seeing here,” Bradway said.
David Reese, Amgen’s executive vice president of research and development, said the company has made several significant discoveries in South San Francisco over the decades and hopes to make more. Reese said the industry is at a pivotal moment in understanding human biology and disease and developing the tools to address them.
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