WuXi Biologics

WuXi has disputed an early WBJ report saying construction at the Worcester site has stopped, although the company declined to provide specifics or give an updated timeline.

Every December for this Economic Forecast special edition, the journalists in the WBJ newsroom forecast 10 possible news events for the coming year, based on their expertise and the trends in the Central Massachusetts business community.

A pause in construction of the $300-million WuXi Biologics manufacturing facility at The Reactory biotech park in Worcester appears to be over.

As the biomanufacturing sector continues to expand into a wide range of applications, billions of dollars are being spent on biomedical research, targeting diseases and improving patient outcomes with technology.

Despite a late effort by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) to stop what he described as a weak piece of legislation, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 306-81 to pass the BIOSECURE Act.

Despite claims of a pause, work at the site appears to be ongoing.

Chinese life sciences firm WuXi Biologics has increased the value of its investment in its Worcester facility from the original $60 million to now $300 million.

The Chinese manufacturer WuXi Biologics, which is building a facility at The Reactory biomanufacturing campus on Belmont Street, was approved for a 5,000-square-foot expansion by the Worcester Planning Board on Wednesday night.

The Massachusetts biopharmaceutical industry raised far more investment than ever before in 2020, coinciding with the coronavirus pandemic that shifted an emphasis to potential lifesaving drugs, according to a report released Thursday.

Vaccines are being distributed, financial savings have brought pent-up demand, and federal stimulus aid has totaled the equivalent of roughly 17% of the American economy — with potentially far more still to come. That's enough for Michelle Meyer, a managing director and head of U.S. economics for Bank of America Global Research, to find optimism in the nation's economy after the coronavirus pandemic ends.