OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Athenex’s plant, under construction in the town of Dunkirk, is pictured.

The shell of the building that will house Athenex’s new biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility near Route 5 in the town of Dunkirk is complete. There is still much to be done before the plant starts making drugs.

An Athenex vice president, Rich Nassar, updated the OBSERVER on the progress of the project. The 320,000-square-foot plant is part of a $1.52 billion investment by the company, which is getting some $200 million in state grants for the construction. The site is expected to employ more than 400 people when at peak operation.

“The project is still on track, and our next step is to finish the building, (and) ordering the equipment,” Nassar said. “It took longer (than anticipated) because of conditions in the market for pharmaceuticals.”

Workers are finishing the interior, and “that should be completed by year’s end or first quarter 2020,” he continued. “Lead time on equipment is approximately 12 months for delivery and then another nine to 12 months for validation and installation.” In addition, Athenex has to get approval of its manufacturing plan from the Food and Drug Administration.

Nassar said the initial focus of the plant will be “vial manufacturing,” which is the production of injectable drugs used in hospital settings. Athenex officials have said in the past they want the plant to eventually focus on the manufacture of cancer-fighting drugs.