A South Carolina pharmaceutical maker will invest more than $100 million to establish production of medical-grade gloves, state and company officials announced.
Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp., a maker of generic inhalation and suspension medications, said partnerships between the newly formed Nephron Nitrile and makers of raw materials, machinery, and technology would put the company in a position to “make a significant difference” in the domestic supply of personal protective equipment by early next year — some two years after the COVID-19 pandemic showcased the consequences of medical supply chains that rely on companies thousands of miles away.
The new operation, located at the company’s campus outside Columbia, South Carolina, is expected to create 250 new jobs.
"Over the course of the last year, we have poured every bit of creativity, energy, and resources we have at our disposal into doing our part, as a proud made-in-America manufacturer, to respond to an unprecedented crisis,” Nephron CEO Lou Kennedy said in a statement. “Nephron Nitrile is the latest part of our ongoing effort to make South Carolina the nationwide example for effectively responding to America’s needs, this time by shoring up the domestic supply chain.”
The expansion follows a $215 million project announced last summer that is expected to add 380 jobs. The company says it has created more than 2,000 full- and part-time jobs in South Carolina since relocating from Florida in 2016.
