Pfizer Inc., expected to invest more than $5 billion on research and development this year, opened to a crowd the first three buildings at Pfizer La Jolla, a development that will eventually comprise eight buildings and 800,000 sf.
The three buildings are located off Science Center Drive, with the remaining facilities to be completed by 2004. The campus will employ 1,500 people researching HIV, cancer, eye diseases and obesity-related diseases such as diabetes.
The new Pfizer La Jolla campus builds on the rapid growth of Agouron Pharmaceuticals, founded in Southern California in 1984 and acquired by Pfizer in June 2000, according to Pfizer officials. In 1997, Agouron launched Viracept, the world's top-selling protease inhibitor used in the treatment of AIDS.
Gov. Gray Davis told about 200 dignitaries last week that Pfizer could have selected any area for its facilities, but chose San Diego because it's a phenomenal place to do business. Hank McKinnell, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer Inc said "Pfizer La Jolla gives us the best of both worlds: a globally unified biomedical research organization that is closely associated with Southern California's vibrant biotech community."
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
