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(Updates with product details, company comment on supplies)
By Karen Brooks and Ben Hirschler
Aug 12 (Reuters) - Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline temporarilyclosed a North Carolina factory on Tuesday after testing at acooling tower found bacteria that causes deadly Legionnaire'sdisease.
The Legionella bacteria were discovered during routineinspections at the site in Zebulon, N.C., the company said.
The shutdown is not expected to disrupt supplies ofmedicines made at the factory, which include GSK's $7billion-a-year inhaled respiratory drug Advair. Advair is alsomade at two other sites in Ware, England, and Evreux, France.
GSK said the shutdown was a precautionary measure and theZebulon site would reopen when the situation was remedied. Thetower is a stand-alone structure that does not come in contactwith any products.
"The cooling towers will be cleaned and retested before thesite goes back into operation. GSK is taking these precautionsto ensure the health and safety of our employees, as well as thesafety and integrity of our products," the group said in astatement.
Spokeswoman Jenni Brewer Ligday said 600 workers were senthome or told not to come in while the towers were being cleaned.
City and state officials said the discovery did not warranta public health alert and that no threat was posed to citydrinking water, according to a report in the Charlotte News andObserver newspaper.
The Zebulon plant manufactures around 30 different GSK drugsin all, including malaria drug Malarone, HIV treatment Combivirand Requip for Parkinson's disease, but its biggest product lineis Advair, for asthma and chronic lung disease.
GSK is also planning to produce its next-generation drypowder inhaled respiratory drugs, such as Breo and Anoro, atZebulon, although for the moment these are only being made inWare.
Legionella bacteria are found naturally in warm water andthrive in environments such as hot tubs, cooling towers, watertanks, large plumbing systems and fountains, according to theU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Legionnaire's disease, a severe kind of pneumonia, iscontracted by breathing in mist containing the bacteria. It isnot contagious, according to the CDC.
Last week, New York City's Department of Health ordered theinspection and cleaning of all cooling towers in the city inresponse to an outbreak of Legionnaire's' disease that hasclaimed 12 lives. (Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by EricWalsh and Susan Thomas)
