Civica Rx will spend $124.5 million to build a sterile injectable manufacturing facility in Petersburg, Virginia, potentially creating more than 180 jobs, the company announced Friday.
The facility will produce sterile injectable medications used in hospitals for COVID-19 patient care, emergency room and intensive-care unit treatments, surgeries, and to treat other serious conditions, according to a press release.
“This is a dream come true for Civica and our hospital partners as we continue to work together to stabilize the supply of essential medicines for patients across the country,” Civica President and CEO Martin VanTrieste said in the statement. “This Virginia plant and our future employees there will play an instrumental role in preventing the chronic drug shortages that have interrupted hospital operations and put patients at risk for over a decade.”
Civica Rx was established in 2018 to address chronic generic drug shortages and related price increases. It was founded by CommonSpirit Health, HCA Healthcare, Intermountain Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, Providence St. Joseph Health, SSM Health, and Trinity Health and serves 50 members.
Civica Rx also collaborates with Phlow Corp., Medicines for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University which received a $354 million contract with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to manufacture essential medications for the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile.
The new manufacturing plant will include disposable technology and advanced technology filling lines to produce 90 million vials and 50 million pre-filled syringes a year, steam sterilization capability, automated visual inspection and packaging lines, and controlled temperature warehousing of raw materials and finished medications, according to the press release. The facility is expected to begin operating in three years.