Talecris Biotherapeutics plans to add 259 jobs over the next seven years as part of a $268.7 million expansion of its Clayton drug-manufacturing plant.

To convince the Research Triangle Park company, which recently raised about $1.7 billion on Wall Street, to expand in this region, state and local officials promised a package of tax breaks and other financial aid that could be worth nearly $20 million.

The practice of using such incentives to lure jobs is drawing increasing criticism, especially with the recent news that Dell plans to shut its factory in Winston-Salem, a project subsidized by a record assistance package.

Government officials say they need to use incentives because North Carolina must attract and keep solid employers to bolster its ailing economy.

"The goal is pretty simple: jobs, jobs and more jobs," Gov. Bev Perdue said at a news conference this morning in downtown Clayton.

An expanding biotech company a bright spot for North Carolina in a bad economy and the incentives are important "so that some other state doesn't lure Talecris away," she added.

Talecris' new jobs will pay average annual salaries of $51,066, state officials said. That's above the Johnston County average of $33,800.

Shares of Talecris Biotherapeutics, which began trading publicly last month, surged this morning after the company reported higher third-quarter profit and sales of its medicine made from blood plasma.

On Monday afternoon, Talecris reported revenue of $395.7 million for the period ended Sept. 30, up about 13 percent from a year earlier.

Profit rose to $35.8 million, or 38 cents a share, from $20.6 million, or 22 cents a share.

It was Talecris' first earnings report since the Research Triangle Park company raised $1.1 billion in its initial public offering, one of the largest and most successful IPOs on Wall Street this year. The shares began trading publicly at $19 on Oct. 1.

The money raised was used mostly to repay debt. But the IPO and a $600 million debt refinancing also allowed the company to improve its balance sheet and plan future expansion.

Company officials have said they'll consider adding capacity at Talecris' Clayton factory, which employs about 1,500 people, but also are looking at other sites.

"We are now very well positioned to invest in our business," CEO Lawrence Stern said on a conference call with Wall Street analysts.

Talecris Biotherapeutics, which began trading publicly last month, reported higher third-quarter profit as the company sold more medicine made from blood plasma.

The Research Triangle Park-based company this afternoon reported revenue of $395.7 million for the period ended Sept. 30, up about 13 percent from a year earlier. Profit rose to $35.8 million.

It was Talecris' first earnings report since the company raised $950 million in its initial public offering, one of the largest and most successful IPOs on Wall Street this year. The shares began trading publicly at $19 on Oct. 1. On Monday, the stock rose 33 cents to close at $20.76.

The money raised was used mostly to repay debt. But the IPO and a $600 million debt refinancing also allowed the company to improve its balance sheet and plan future expansion.

Company officials have said they'll consider adding capacity at Talecris' Clayton factory, which employs about 1,500 people, but also are looking at other sites.

More than 600 employees with Talecris Biotherapeutics spent Friday and today volunteering at 26 nonprofit agencies, mostly across Johnston County.

The "Talecris Cares" event is timed to happen as the company's massive drug-manufacturing plant in Clayton halts production for maintenance and upgrades. About 1,500 workers at the factory make medicines from blood plasma.

The plant will be shut down for 4 to 6 weeks, and employees will spend much of that time doing training. The volunteer effort originated out of the company's interest in using part of the factory's down time about every 18 months to give back to the community.

This year, workers volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Johnston County Animal Shelter and Howell Woods environmental learning center in Four Oaks. A group of workers also visited Ft. Bragg to volunteer at two elementary schools on the base and help prepare barracks for the return of 240 soldiers from Iraq.

The company will spend $20 million to maintain and upgrade its Clayton plant during the next few weeks.

Syngenta Biotechnology has recruited a top researcher from a main rival to oversee its global biotech research efforts.

While just one man changing jobs, the news also reinforces this region's reputation as a major hub in the world's economy.

Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, who earned his college degrees in the Netherlands, will be based at Syngenta's North American biotech headquarters in Research Triangle Park. That's where the division of the Swiss drug maker employs more than 400 people. He'll also oversee research at a facility in Beijing.

He previously was head of bioscience research at Bayer CropScience, a division of the German conglomerate that also employs more than 400 at its North American headquarters in RTP.

Both Syngenta Biotechnology and Bayer CropScience are expanding as demand increases for pesticides and other crop protection products.

A small Durham company developing drugs using stem cells is reviving plans for an initial public offering of stock, hoping to take advantage of renewed Wall Street interest in biotechnology IPOs.

Aldagen scrapped previous IPO plans in Oct. 2008 when the stock market slumped and investors shunned risky, unprofitable companies. But stocks have surged since March and IPOs are returning to favor.

This morning Aldagen, which was founded in 2000 as StemCo Biomedical, refiled IPO plans with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The filing is missing some key details, such as the expected price range. But Aldagen indicated it expects to raise as much as $80.5 million and its shares to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol "ALDH."

Durham biotech company Metabolon announced this morning that it secured $6 million in venture capital funding to finance operations.

The latest round of venture capital brings the company's total haul to about $31 million since 2003.

Metabolon was incorporated in 2000 and today employs 52 people, mostly in Durham. The company is run by CEO John Ryals, who previously was founder and CEO of Paradigm Genetics.

A small Durham company that stores biological samples for companies, university researchers and others has raised $400,000 from so-called angel investors.

Kryosphere, which also recently celebrated its second anniversary, stores millions of samples in massive freezers (thus the penguin images in its marketing materials). The company employs eight full-time workers and adds more part-timers as needed, said CEO and co-founder Eric Hallman.

"With automated systems, we're not going to be huge employers," he added.

The company is seeing increasing demand as biotech and pharmaceutical companies outsource sample storage to reduce the hassle and cost, Hallman said.

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, a small company that moved its headquarters to Durham from California in the spring, announced that shareholders approved a reverse stock split.

The split will give every investor one share for every 15 they now own. The shares now are traded over the counter but the split will boost the stock's price to the point where it will qualify for listing on a major exchange.

Getting onto an exchange could help attract more interest from Wall Street.

Oxygen is developing products to treat various ailments and injuries by increasing the delivery of oxygen to damaged tissue.

CEO Chris Stern, who took over the company when its previous CEO died unexpectedly last year, lived in in this region and decided to shift Oxygen's headquarters to Durham. The company now employs 19 people.

Oxygen shares closed Monday at 47 cents.

Talecris Biotherapeutics raised $600 million by selling senior notes, two weeks after the company brought in $950 million in its initial public offering of stock.

The Research Triangle Park company will use the latest financing to repay existing, more expensive loans.

Talecris is bolstering its balance sheet as officials consider where to expand production of medicines made from blood plasma. Executives could choose to add capacity and hundreds of more jobs at a massive Clayton facility but have said they're also looking at new sites.