Aurobindo USA, the US subsidiary of Aurobindo Pharma, an Indian pharmaceutical company, is moving forward with the purchase of the 142, 400 square foot Teleflex building at 2917 Weck Drive. The Durham location of Aurobindo will house a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and R&D center while the company will keep their U.S. headquarters in New Jersey.
“Our Chamber greatly appreciates the contributions of Durham County and the City of Durham to the Chamber’s Economic Development program and we feel that Aurobindo’s location in Durham is a Win-Win-Win for all,” said Geoff Durham, Chamber president and CEO.
Aurobindo has a story that certainly resonates in Durham. The company was started in 1986 by P.V. Ramaprasad and Nityananda Reddy and began operations in 1988-89 with a single unit manufacturing semi-synthetic Penicillin. The company has grown to be India’s fifth largest pharmaceutical company.
The company now has a market in key therapeutic segments such as neurosciences, cardiovascular, anti-retrovirals, anti-diabetics, gastroenterology and cephalosporins, among others. With the new facility in Durham, the company has plans to develop products in new markets.
Dr. Ninad Deshpanday, a North Carolina native, has been hired to lead the R&D efforts for Aurobindo’s new line of products and has been a Durham and North Carolina’s advocate for the project. Dr. Deshpanday has more than 25 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry, both international and domestic.
“Aurobindo will be a wonderful addition to Durham’s impressive base of life science companies and Durham is particularly blessed that the project will create career opportunities for a broad range of Durham’s residents,” said Ted Conner, senior vice president of economic development at the Durham Chamber. “Creation of a broad range of career opportunities is a certainly sign of successful economic development.”
Preparation for jobs at Aurobindo can be accomplished through a training program called BioWork at Durham Technical Community College. BioWork prepares students for a career path in life sciences manufacturing. To help prepare Durham residents for jobs in life sciences manufacturing, some of the Durham County sales tax revenue received by Durham Tech supports Durham Connect, a program that provides scholarships to Durham residents.
About Aurobindo
Aurobindo USA is committed to delivering a broad portfolio of quality, affordable generic pharmaceuticals to pharmacists and patients. Since its first US ANDA approval in 2004, the company expanded its portfolio to include more than 125 product families and 450 individual product packages, representing a wide range of therapeutic categories.