MORGANTOWN, W.Va.–West Virginia University has announced plans for a unit of the institution to take over the Mylan facility on Chestnut Ridge Road in Morgantown. The facility will be transferred to the WVU Innovation Corporation for the cost of $1.
West Virginia University Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Rob Alsop said he’s grateful the deal will allow the name of Milan Puskar to continue.
“He, his family and that company have such an important legacy in West Virginia,” Alsop said. “By Viatris doing this for $1 really gives us the opportunity to write a new chapter.”
Last year, the university and officials from Viatris agreed in a memorandum of understanding to pursue other options for the manufacturing facility. WVU said the transfer will result in short, medium, long-term employment and community opportunities.
Viatris was formed out of a merger with Mylan. The company closed the plant last year and more than 1,400 people lost their jobs.
Viatris Executive Chairman Robert J. Coury said the company’s goal was to find a responsible new steward for the facility that would secure the best possible future for its former workers.
‘I would like to personally recognize (WVU president) Gordon Gee and his entire leadership team for their extensive amount of work and research to outline a vision for the future of this site that does just that,” Coury said. “Today’s announcement has the potential to create new academic, economic and job creation opportunities not only for Morgantown but for the entire State of West Virginia. I would also like to thank the University for its commitment to provide our impacted employees with a path to further their education and re-training to enhance their future employment opportunities.”
Gov. Jim Justice said the decision by Viatris to close the plant was a “real cannonball to the stomach for a lot of good people” but he’s proud of what has happened since.
“Now, we have an exciting new chapter to look forward to, where a facility that has already given us so much has the chance to continue producing medicines that are critical to our nation for years to come,” Justice said. “When you have a pillar of our state as well known and as successful as WVU taking over such an important facility right in their backyard, you know the results are going to be tremendous.”
Employment possibilities
WVU Medicine President & CEO Albert Wright said there plans for a couple of anchor tenants and several other small businesses in the building.
“Is there a possibility that some of that space is used for pharmaceutical preparation in the future? Absolutely,” Wright said Thursday. “We don’t specifics on that today, but absolutely there’s that possibility and we have a number of groups interested.”
Wright said over the last year they’ve worked with many interested parties, but there wasn’t one entity prepared to occupy the entire facility for the purpose of oral solid dose manufacturing.
“It could be an incubator for start up businesses, to provide some of the infrastructure to get them going from the start,” Wright said. “They don’t necessarily have to be healthcare-related, but we would like to tie it in to the health science capability.”
When the university leases space to a private company property taxes will be paid. Like other arrangements, the university will add an amount equal to the property tax to the agreement and remit that amount to the county.
“Personal property taxes on the business side, the machinery, equipment and all those things that will purely be a function of those entities as they come in and would pay regardless if they were leasing space,” Alsop said.
Alsop said they will offer opportunities to get a free associates, bachelors or masters degree to former displaced Mylan employees. The university is working with Viatris to contact former employees that are eligible for the opportunity. Displaced employees will be given preferential hiring status.
“The fact that there are employees who worked in the Viatris facility that is a definite positive,” Alsop said. “So, I do think to the extent that there are those type of employees who would look for those opportunities and have that type of background- they would be in a good position to apply.”