Immunex Corp. opened its new 100,000-square-footbiopharmaceutical manufacturing and development center lastweek in Bothell, Wash.

The center contains a new 80,000-square-foot microbialproduction facility, which the Seattle company will use toproduce Leukine, its flagship product, and Pixykine. Leukine, orgranulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), isused to speed recovery and improve survival in cancer patientsundergoing bone marrow transplants.

Pixykine, a second-generation blood cell growth factor, is inhuman clinical trials for alleviating the neutropenia andthrombocytopenia that are side effects of cancer therapy.

Immunex's 20,000-square-foot mammalian cell facility,already in operation, will produce the company's tumornecrosis factor (TNF) receptor and interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptorfor clinical trials. Phase I human trials on the TNF receptor'sability to inhibit systemic infections are already under way. IL-1 receptor is also being studied clinically for allergy, arthritis,systemic inflammation and graft-vs.-host disease.

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