Byline: Lisa Eckelbecker

Abbott Laboratories yesterday opened a $450 million drug manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico that will take over most of the production of Humira, a blockbuster drug for immune disorders that has been produced in Worcester.

The 330,000-square-foot Abbott

Biotechnology Ltd. plant in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, employs about 240 people and has long been in the works as a large-scale production facility for Humira. Alejandro Aruffo, Abbott vice president for pharmaceutical development, said the Worcester plant will continue to produce some Humira but will focus on manufacturing new drugs under development at Abbott.

"We continue to be committed to our immunology research, which is based out of the Worcester facility, as well as our biotechnology research for all therapeutic areas, which is based out of Worcester," Mr. Aruffo said yesterday from Puerto Rico.

Abbott Laboratories is based in Abbott Park, Ill. Its Worcester operation, Abbott Bioresearch Center, includes researchers and a small manufacturing center.

Humira is a treatment for immune system disorders that acts by thwarting tumor necrosis factor, a warrior in the immune system that sometimes goes awry and attacks healthy tissue. Humira was first approved in 2002 as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Since then, U.S. regulators have approved Humira for psoriatic arthritis, the digestive disorder Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis.

The drug is Abbott's biggest product, bringing in more than $2 billion in sales last year, and the company is working to get Humira approved for still more uses.

Puerto Rico is a popular place for drug production because the island commonwealth of the United States offers corporate income tax rates as low as 2 percent and tax exemptions of 100 percent on equipment and machinery, according to the Pharmaceutical Industry Association of America.

Abbott employs about 2,400 people in Puerto Rico. Abbott drugs produced in Puerto Rico include the antibiotic Biaxin, the hypothyroidism treatment Synthroid and Depakote for manic episodes. The company reported it has invested $1 billion in Puerto Rico since 1968.

In Worcester, Mr. Aruffo said, Abbott Bioresearch Center will remain busy producing experimental drugs such as ABT-874, an anti-interleukin-12 compound that has been tested as a treatment for Crohn's disease and the skin ailment psoriasis. Another compound in Abbott's pipeline, he said, is ABT-325, an anti-interleukin-18 drug that could be a treatment for autoimmune conditions.

Abbott is also testing Humira as a treatment for additional disorders such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

"There's a lot more indications that are coming on line, and that's obviously going to have an impact on the volume of protein that we need," Mr. Aruffo said.

Puerto Rico has long been a popular haven for pharmaceutical manufacturers, but the island would also like to boost research and development. Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo-Vila said last year at a biotechnology trade group meeting that his government was committed to building a knowledge-based economy and the construction of a molecular research center.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: An Abbott Laboratories technician performs an analysis inside an isolation chamber to produce Humira.

PHOTOG: ABBOTT LABORATORIES