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 The Legionella bacteria were discovered during routine inspections
at the site in Zebulon, N.C., the company said.
The shutdown is not expected to disrupt supplies of medicines made
at the factory, which include GSK's $7 billion-a-year inhaled
respiratory drug Advair. Advair is also made at two other sites in
Ware, England, and Evreux, France.
GSK said the shutdown was a precautionary measure and the Zebulon
site would reopen when the situation was remedied. The tower is a
stand-alone structure that does not come in contact with any
products.
"The cooling towers will be cleaned and retested before the site
goes back into operation. GSK is taking these precautions to ensure
the health and safety of our employees, as well as the safety and
integrity of our products," the group said in a statement.
Spokeswoman Jenni Brewer Ligday said 600 workers were sent home or
told not to come in while the towers were being cleaned.
City and state officials said the discovery did not warrant a public
health alert and that no threat was posed to city drinking water,
according to a report in the Charlotte News and Observer newspaper.
The Zebulon plant manufactures around 30 different GSK drugs in all,
including malaria drug Malarone, HIV treatment Combivir and Requip
for Parkinson's disease, but its biggest product line is Advair, for
asthma and chronic lung disease.
GSK is also planning to produce its next-generation dry powder
inhaled respiratory drugs, such as Breo and Anoro, at Zebulon,
although for the moment these are only being made in Ware.
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Legionella bacteria are found naturally in warm water and thrive in
environments such as hot tubs, cooling towers, water tanks, large
plumbing systems and fountains, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Legionnaire's disease, a severe kind of pneumonia, is contracted by
breathing in mist containing the bacteria. It is not contagious,
according to the CDC.
Last week, New York City's Department of Health ordered the
inspection and cleaning of all cooling towers in the city in
response to an outbreak of Legionnaire's' disease that has claimed
12 lives.
(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by Eric Walsh
and Susan Thomas)
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