The employees work at the Oceanside biotech manufacturing plant built by Biogen Idec, based in Cambridge, Mass., to manufacture a drug for multiple sclerosis called Tysabri. The company sold the plant to South San Francisco-based Genentech in June for $408 million, after sales of Tysabri were suspended after reports of illness possibly caused by Tysabri.

Genentech is readying the new Oceanside plant to produce Avastin, a drug for colorectal cancer. Avastin belongs to a type of drug known as monoclonal antibodies that precisely target diseased cells.

Biogen Idec built the plant to manufacture Tysabri, also a monoclonal antibody, which relieves symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The plant would have doubled the production capacity for Tysabri, sold by Biogen Idec and the Irish drug company Elan Pharmaceuticals...Click to read...