Two Companies Bring Hundreds of Jobs to RTP with Expanded Manufacturing Capabilities
Two life sciences companies with deep roots in the Tar Heel State, ProKidney Corp. and United Therapeutics, will invest more than $800 million to build new facilities that will bring hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina.
By Alex Keown
June 23, 2023
Two life sciences companies with deep roots in the Tar Heel State, ProKidney Corp. and United Therapeutics, will invest more than $800 million to build new facilities that will bring hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina.
Cell therapy company ProKidney Corp. acquired a 210,000 square foot facility in Greensboro that will serve as the company’s future manufacturing site for its chronic kidney disease (CKD) therapeutic that is currently in late-stage development. The new site, bought for $25.5 million, will bring approximately 330 new jobs to the region, the company announced.
ProKidney, which is focused on preserving kidney function in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease, acquired a site that will serve as the future home of a manufacturing facility for its REACT (REnal Autologous Cell Therapy) platform, which is in Phase III development for the treatment of diabetic CKD.
REACT is designed to improve renal function in patients with chronically diseased kidneys. The therapeutic is an injectable product composed of a patient’s own selected renal cells, with the aim to delay or prevent renal replacement therapy. It is estimated that more than 500,000 patients per year suffer from diabetic kidney disease in the United States. Interim data from the Proact 1, the first Phase III trial that began in January 2022, is expected by the end of 2024. If Proact 1 and Proact 2 are successful, ProKidney anticipates submitting a Biologics License Application in 2026. Potential approval of REACT necessitates an investment in its manufacturing capabilities.
The new ProKidney manufacturing site, supported by economic investments from state and local governments valued at approximately $13.3 million, is expected to be fully operational by 2028. Until that time, the company announced it will make investments in the facility through that time to prepare for potential commercial-scale manufacturing. ProKidney, based in nearby Winston Salem, plans to create 330 new jobs before Dec. 31, 2028.
ProKidney’s new location could take advantage of a planned biotechnology training center at Gateway Research Park’s South Campus in East Greensboro. The training center is a partnership between pharma giant Merck and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The new training center is a 4,025-square-foot facility that is expected to be completed in 2024. Some of the A&T students who come through this training center will no doubt find future employment with Merck, which operates five different facilities in North Carolina, including a recent addition to the company’s Maurice R. Hilleman Center for Vaccine Manufacturing in nearby Durham that increased the company’s capability to produce for TICE BCG, a medicine for the treatment of certain forms of bladder cancer.
Alongside ProKidney, United Therapeutics, which has co-headquarters in Silver Springs, Maryland and Research Triangle Park, announced a $500 million investment in a new manufacturing facility in North Carolina. First reported by Triangle Business Review, the new site will allow the company to expand manufacturing of the company’s dry powder inhaler for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD). The FDA approved Tyvaso DPI in May 2022.
The new facility is under construction and expected to be operational by 2026. The RTP manufacturing center will produce enough medication to support an additional 50,000 patients per year, according to the report. The report did not indicate how many new jobs will be associated with the new manufacturing facility. However, United Therapeutics lists a number of open jobs in RTP on its career portal, including Bioprocess Technician – Cell Production; Senior Manager Operational Technology; GxP Systems analyst, and more.
Alongside its new manufacturing facility, United Therapeutics also opened a first-of-its-kind distribution and warehouse center that takes a holistic approach to operations and energy management. The new 55,000 square-foot center will be located on the company’s existing campus in Research Triangle Park.
United Therapeutics new warehouse center will be used to store and distribute the company’s drug-device combination product, Tyvaso DPI.
United Therapeutics announced the new facility is believed to be the first cGMP warehouse designed to meet site net zero energy standards. The site’s electrical system is designed to run without any fossil fuels. It uses a microgrid-based electrical system supported by a battery backup using two Tesla Megapacks. The facility also used a roof-mounted photovoltaic system that is connected to the project’s microgrid and can recharge the Tesla Megapack when the building electrical system is disconnected from the utility, allowing the facility to operate for an extended period. This results in a design that does not include a standby generator, the company announced.
Other key, environmentally-friendly features include a geothermal system consisting of 40 vertical bores designed to regulate building systems and environmental conditions. The warehouse also contains smart building technology, including lighting occupancy sensors in strategic locations, ENERGY STAR-certified office equipment, and regenerative charging lift trucks.
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Alex Keown is a freelance journalist who writes about a variety of subjects including the pharma, biotech, and life science industries. Prior to freelancing, Alex has served as a staff writer and editor for several publications.
