The world’s largest contract biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing firm will invest $159 million and create 488 jobs in eastern NC. Patheon, a unit of DPx announced plans to expand their flagship facility in Greenville, NC on October 3rd.
October 8, 2014 – Greenville, NC – The world’s largest contract biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing firm will invest $159 million and create 488 jobs in eastern NC. Patheon, a unit of DPx announced plans to expand their flagship facility in Greenville, NC on October 3rd.
Patheon contracts with large and small pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies to develop, manufacture, and distribute drugs and therapies. The U.S. headquarters is located in Durham and the company also has a manufacturing facility, Banner Pharmacaps, in High Point. Patheon currently has more than 1,680 employees in North Carolina, including more than 1,000 at its Pitt County facility. Globally, the company employs more than 8,000 at 20+ locations. The expansion will address Patheon’s need for additional manufacturing and development capacity.
“To know that a growing company like DPx Holdings has chosen to expand its Patheon facility in North Carolina is a great sign that we are on the right track in building our state’s economy,” said Governor McCrory in a new release last Friday. “This company is part of one of the fastest growing industries in the country, and it is great to have them call North Carolina home.”
“The project will create the largest North American sterile manufacturing facility along with a pharmaceutical development services business that will help usher new drugs through the FDA approval process,” said Patheon Chief of Staff, Gary Shope.
The 10 month site selection process conducted by company representatives and consultants evaluated existing locations around the world and reportedly considered greenfield sites as well. The hard work of the Pitt County Development Commission (PCDC), Pitt County Commissioners, the NC Biotechnology Center, Pitt Community College, the Greenville/Pitt County community and others brought the deal to a successful close. Teamwork and partnership made the difference in landing the project – a great example of how economic development should work. The project will have an enormous impact upon the region – 488 jobs at average wages/salaries of $50,000 will create a new payroll of roughly $24 million once construction is completed and the new facilities are operating.
“This is the way regionalism is supposed to work,” stated John D. Chaffee, NCEast Alliance CEO. “We initiated contact with the company in December 2013 after news broke of the merger between DSM Pharmaceuticals and Patheon, to gain an understanding of their plans and offered our assistance. About two months later, the company asked us to connect them with the local economic development office in Pitt County and we stepped aside. The Pitt County Development Commission staff and community did a great job of meeting the needs of the company to win the project.”
Patheon joins a host of other biopharmaceutical manufacturing operations in eastern NC: Hospira, Merck, Sandoz, BD, Metrics, Purdue, CMP and others. The life science industry is one of the fastest growing and best paying sectors for the region lying east of the Research Triangle. The cluster employs nearly 8,000 workers and includes major suppliers as well as the core life science companies. Excess water and sewer capacity, reliable power and natural gas as well as the availability of a qualified labor force produced by area community colleges, East Carolina University, and other four-year institutions, continue to make the area attractive for life science companies.
The NCEast Alliance is a regional, not-for-profit, economic development corporation serving approximately 1 million residents within several small metropolitan and micropolitan areas from the fringe of the Research Triangle to the Atlantic Coast. The Alliance provides community capacity building and assists companies with site location and expansion evaluations. For more information on the NCEast Alliance, visit us at https://www.nceast.orgor visit one of our workforce development sites (NCEast WorkReady Communities at www.ncworkready.orgor STEM East at www.stemeast.org).