Roche Parmaceuticals Good Medicine for Florence
Published Apr 17, 2008
Roche Carolina Inc. is digging its roots even deeper into Florence County soil with the decision announced in April 2007 to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.
The $60 million investment will result in 25 to 30 additional jobs and a new multipurpose production unit to help the giant drug maker keep pace with demand. The expansion should be completed by the end of 2008.
“Certainly, we have found this location is ideal,” Peter J. Mazzaroni, Roche Carolina manager of public affairs, says about Florence County. “We need close access to the ports, the interstate system and local rail, and an available workforce.
We have all that here.”
Located about eight miles east of the city limits, Roche Carolina currently employs about 315 people, with another 40 or so resident contractors on site. Its two missions are: to research and develop improved manufacturing processes for pharmaceuticals, and to manufacture in bulk pharmaceutical ingredients for Roche products.
Roche Carolina has helped bring several key drugs to market, including Xenical (for obesity), Xeloda (for metastatic breast and colorectal cancer) and PEGASYS (for hepatitis C).
Based in Basel, Switzerland, Roche opened its developmental laboratories here in 1995.
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
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