Alexion Moves Dirt on New Haven HQ

NEW HAVEN, CT-Monday's groundbreaking ceremony at 100 College St. here was a homecoming in a way for Alexion Pharmaceuticals. The pharma firm opened its doors in 1992 and then decamped for suburban Cheshire, CT, from which it now plans to relocate when 100 College is completed two years from now.

The laboratory and office building for which ceremonial dirt was moved on Monday is the first phase of the Downtown Crossing redevelopment project in New Haven. Alexion will take nine of the 11 floors at 100 College for its global headquarters, relocating more than 400 employees to the new building and planning to hire as many as 300 more in the future.

"Our new global headquarters will support our continued growth as we work to develop and deliver life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and life-threatening disorders that are also ultra-rare,” says Alexion CEO Leonard Bell in a release. “We are especially pleased by this step because our return to New Haven is a homecoming for our company, and we are able to take part in the redevelopment of the downtown area.”

Bell was joined at Monday's groundbreaking ceremony by Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and representatives from Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital.  “We are positioning Connecticut as a leader in the bioscience industry, and Alexion's decision to build their new global headquarters in our state is a clear sign that the future in this sector is bright,” Malloy says in a statement.

“With our economic development tools, our focus on growing bioscience and technology, and through widely expanding higher education, we will continue to expand bioscience in Connecticut—creating good paying jobs with good benefits," he continues. "These investments not only improve our economic strength and competitiveness, but also establish important partnerships between our universities, medical centers, and private sector businesses.”