An international pharmaceutical and biotech company has announced plans to expand its 100,000-square-foot Pearland facility, which began construction in March and is slated to open in 2017. The Swiss firm, Lonza, has announced its intention to add another 150,000 square feet to the facility, bringing the building to more than 250,000 square feet, according to a press release from the Pearland Economic Development Corporation. PEDC has partnered with Lonza, the city of Pearland and the Greater Houston Partnership to bring the company to the Pearland community. “It has been a long-standing goal of the PEDC and city of Pearland to attract health care and life science employers to Pearland, and Lonza’s expansion is a testament to those efforts,” PEDC president Matt Buchanan said. “Lonza’s decision to expand the current facility will have a strong economic impact on the community and continue to affirm our presence as a growing hub for the life science and health care sectors.” The new facility, located in Pearland’s Lower Kirby District, will focus on the production of commercial quantities of viral gene and cell therapies, according to the press release. “Lonza is committed to building up our cell and gene therapy capabilities in Pearland, which is a growing center for life sciences,” said Marc Funk, chief operating officer of Lonza’s Pharma & Biotech division, in the press release. “The Houston area, supported by a number of world-class scientific institutions, is an important location for Lonza to continue to develop novel therapies offering the hope of improving the lives of patients all over the world.” The new facility is expected to employ more than 100 upon opening in 2017, with the expectation that several hundred scientists, engineers and biotech employees could be employed over the next 10 years. “Lonza’s decision to further invest in Pearland is the greatest compliment a company can extend to a community,” Pearland Mayor Tom Reid said in the release. “We thank the management of Lonza Houston for their continued investment in Pearland’s Lower Kirby District and wish the entire Lonza team continued success both in our community and across the globe.”