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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – A British pharmaceutical development company that opened a 6,000-square-foot U.S. headquarters with four employees five years ago in Research Triangle Park is now approaching 40,000 square feet at two Triangle locations – and actively hiring.
MedPharm, a contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in topical and transdermal pharmaceutical products, is positioning itself to offer client companies a wide range of services, from histology and microbiology studies through pre-formulation and formulation development to clinical and small-batch manufacturing services in its two Triangle locations.
President, CEO Eugene Ciolfi. (MedPharm photo)
The CDMO’s newly opened 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is in the Keystone Technology Park, at 633 Davis Drive in Morrisville, two miles from its Center of Excellence facility that will continue operating at 4222 Emperor Blvd., Durham.
This fast-growing UK-based company is almost ready to rumble at the new Morrisville site, which will soon be producing clinical and small commercial batches of topical small-molecule semi-solid and liquid pharmaceutical products for client companies. Company officials say MedPharm is not developing any cell-based biological products.
MedPharm, which is privately held, has not disclosed financial details of the investment in the new facility, which is just beginning a validation process. The company says its first manufacturing runs are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year. Regulatory site visits and approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will take place over the next year as MedPharm spools up manufacturing operations.
Tech Services Sr. Manager Jess Marcotte (center)
conducts tour of new facility.. (MedPharm photo)
Eugene Ciolfi, MedPharm’s president and CEO, joined employees and invited guests in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the Morrisville site. He noted that the firm, which has partnered with North Carolina State University to provide internships and professional development opportunities for graduate and postdoctoral students, also hopes to work with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and its partners to expand workforce development and employment opportunities to entry-level manufacturing workers without college degrees.
The company has declined to discuss the total number of employees currently working at its North Carolina facilities, but lists seven jobs at its Triangle facilities through its website. Ciolfi, who lives in New Jersey, said he expects that number to grow soon with a new human resources officer about to start work at the Durham headquarters the first week of July.
MedPharm logo
MedPharm lists its UK site in Surrey, an hour southwest of London, as its primary Center of Excellence in Formulation and Process Development. Its Durham site is dubbed its U.S. Center of Excellence in Performance Testing, Formulation and Process Development. That site supports the company’s global testing and performance models “to de-risk the development of topical products by quantifying the permeation and performance of formulations on different barriers,” and also performs formulation and process development.
