ALACHUA, Fla. (AP) — A factory that manufactures vaccines and drugs to protect soldiers from chemical and biological attacks has opened in north Florida.
The Gainesville Sun reports (https://bit.ly/2hjSIIu ) that Department of Defense and other federal officials attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday for the new $138 million, 183-square-foot Nanotherapeutics plant in Alachua.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for chemical and biological defense Chris Hassell told attendees that the facility will help the country avoid surprise attacks such as the anthrax mailings after Sept. 11, 2001.
The plant now has about 190 employees.
The facility is part of an effort started in 2010 to speed up and better control vaccine and drug manufacturing.
The Department of Health and Human Services was also mandated to open three similar facilities to serve the general public.
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Information from: The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, http://www.gainesvillesun.com