Page 48 - 2021 Westchester County Economic Development Guide

Biosciences
A Thriving Biosciences Hub
Incubators. Innovators. Accelerators. Westchester is a cutting-edge center of the biosciences industry.
Westchester Forward
© Courtesy of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the largest biosciences company in New York State.
Propelled by industry leaders like Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Acorda Therapeutics and supported by the Westchester County Biosciences Initiative and the BioInc@NYMC incubator, the County has emerged a leading hub and employer in the biosciences space.
With nearly 600 employees, Ardsley-based Acorda Therapeutics markets Ampyra, which improves walking in people with multiple sclerosis.
REGENERON: AT THE FOREFRONT OF BATTLING COVID-19
Tarrytown-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the state’s largest biotech company. With
more than 9,000 employees, the company was ranked by Science magazine as the world’s number one employer in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Regeneron employs nearly 3,800 employees at its Westchester corporate headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities.
The company, which occupies nearly 1.7 million square feet of space in Westchester County, recently made news after developing an innovative antibody cocktail to treat COVID-19.
REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies and was designed specifically to block infectivity of the virus that causes COVID-19. The two potent, virus-neutralizing antibodies that form the cocktail bind to the virus’s spike protein, blocking its entry into healthy cells. The cocktail approach diminishes the likelihood of mutant viruses evading both antibodies, and indeed REGEN-COV has retained potency against variants recently identified in the UK and South Africa.
The U.S. government has purchased the initial 1.5 million doses of the treatment, currently authorized for emergency use in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients with certain risk factors, and is making it available to patients at no cost.
Regeneron recently announced that the cocktail has also shown positive early data in a clinical trial using it as a “passive vaccine” to prevent infection in people who have close exposure to a diagnosed COVID-19 patient.
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“Over 30 years ago, we opened our first labs in Westchester County. With an entrepreneurial spirit and top scientific talent, we set out to fundamentally change the lives of people with serious diseases. Our decision to locate our headquarters here has greatly supported our success. Westchester and the Hudson Valley boast a highly educated workforce, top schools, tremendous natural beauty, and an unmatched history and culture – all located just minutes from New York City. The unique benefits of the region make
this a fantastic place to live, work, and enjoy.”
—Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Regeneron
George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Scientific Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Regeneron WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE