Bend Research, Inc., one of Central Oregon’s oldest and largest high-technology firms, has opened a new plant in northeast Bend to produce pharmaceutical supplies for clinical tests for a division of Pfizer, Inc.

The 12,000-square-foot facility, located at 20503 Builders St., beginning in April will manufacture pharmaceutical supplies to be used in clinical testing for Pfizer’s Global Research and Development division.

Bend Research, headquartered on a hill just west of Tumalo, has formed a wholly owned subsidiary known as Bend Research Pharmaceutical Process Development, Inc., which owns and operates the plant.

”This new facility represents a significant expansion of our capabilities,” said Rod Ray, vice president and chief operating officer of Bend Research. ”For the first time, we will be able to produce pharmaceutical supplies at scale here in Bend using technologies we have developed for Pfizer.”

Privately held Bend Research was founded in 1975. Funded mainly by government grants, at that time the company’s primary focus was on developing synthetic membranes to clean water and separate gases.

The company still develops membranes to recycle solvents used in the electronics industry. It began working with Pfizer, which owns a minority share of Bend Research, in 1986.

Bend Research also has an engineering facility located south of Bend High School. The three sites employ about 115 persons. Company revenues in 2001 were greater than $15 million, Ray said.

Pfizer is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. According to financial documents on file with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, it spent nearly $4.7 billion on research and development of new drugs in 2001.

In information posted on Pfizer’s Web site, the company (NYSE:PFE) said it is working on more than 130 potential new treatments for illnesses such as depression, erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol and HIV infection.

Bend Research spent more than a year and more than $13 million developing its new plant to meet federal Food and Drug Administration’s Good Manufacturing Practices requirements. The requirements are designed to ensure quality of design, manufacture, packaging, storage and servicing of medical devices intended for commercial distribution in the United States.