200 new life science jobs added to Cook Pharmica’s $80 million dollar expansion program

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. The city of Bloomington and its politicians were praising the announcement of an 80,000 sq. ft. expansion for Cook Pharmica, the biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing division of Cook Medical. Cook is said to be investing $80 million in the expansion and adding 200 jobs—including professional, hourly and management employees.

Construction for the expansion is set to begin mid-2008, and be completed in early 2010. The plans include creating two filling lines and complementary finishing lines, as well as one high-speed syringe filling line and one low- to medium-speed vial filling line with lyophilization capacity up to 250 sq. ft. Both lines will feature isolator technology.

“We could not be more thrilled with the acceptance we have gained from our customers and everyone involved that has made this expansion possible, which we have named Project Eos—the Greek goddess of the dawn,” said Jerry Arthur, president of Cook Pharmica. “This expansion, which further diversifies our expansive portfolio of services, marks the dawn of a new era in our company’s growth, and is a testament to Cook’s commitment to contract biopharmaceutical manufacturing.”

The expansion also ensures that Cook Pharmica will offer its customers formulation, filling and finishing services.

Cook Medical is said to be a rising international business—Cook Urological also saw an expansion in Spencer, Ind., and a new office and warehouse will open this year in Shanghai, China.

Among its capabilities, the company offers cell line/strain development, clone selection, cell line adaptation, media optimization, process development, analytical development, cell banking/storage, stability testing/storage and regulatory submission support.