Seqirus kicks off Holly Springs plant expansion

Seqirus is run by CSL Ltd., one of the largest makers of the flu vaccine in the world, CSL Chief Executive Paul Perreault said the company plans to make Holly Springs synonymous with flu vaccines.

The Holly Springs plant, at 475 Green Oaks Parkway, has already jumped from producing 3 million doses of vaccine a few years ago to more than 20 million this year. The expansion will double that output to 40 million doses annually, officials said.

"This building signifies our ability, as a government, if we’re faced with a pandemic, to mass produce a specific product to save lives," U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said. "It gives us the assurance that we can go out, cost effectively, and offer everyone in this country the flu vaccine every year."

Seqirus officials said the expansion is expected to bring another 120 jobs to the plant, which already has about 600 employees, when it's finished in 2020.

"The Raleigh-Durham area is really a hotbed of biotech, and the workforce here that we are able to access here is fantastic," Perreault said. "We find it a great place to live, a great lifestyle for people and the great technology and workers that we have access to here in Holly Springs."

"This is a continuation of a state that leads globally in innovation for health care," Burr said. "As Seqirus makes this investment, you can expect that other companies look at it and say, 'We need to make an investment in North Carolina.'"

According to a company statement, the expansion will enable the pharmaceutical firm to expand its portfolio of vaccines, including cell-based and adjuvant vaccines, as early as possible each flu season while escalating the state of readiness in the event of a deadly pandemic.