Thursday,
September 2, 2004, 10:30a.m.(ct):
OXFORD, Miss. – BioDerm
Sciences Inc., a recent spinoff
of Health Pathways Inc. health
care holding company of Gaithersburg,
Md., is locating its corporate
headquarters, research and development
and manufacturing operations
in Oxford, Miss.
Focusing
on the development and marketing of
innovative dermatologic products,
BioDerm Sciences
plans to create approximately 50 jobs
over the next three years – many
of which the company expects
to fill with recent graduates of University
of Mississippi research
programs. BioDerm Sciences recently
has launched four products in Europe
and has a portfolio of nine
products
ready to go to market globally. The company plans to phase
in the launches over the next 18 months.
The announcement came today at a news
conference in the Ole Miss-Oxford
Depot. Joining Randy
Hoggle, chairman of the board of
BioDerm Sciences Inc., were UM Chancellor
Robert Khayat, Oxford Mayor Richard
Howorth, Max Hipp, director of the
Oxford-Lafayette Economic
Development Foundation, and state
dignitaries including Gray Swoope, deputy director
and COO
for Mississippi Development Authority.
Instrumental in attracting BioDerm
Sciences to Oxford were a number
of state and
local leaders, said
Walt Chambliss, director of UM’s
Division of Technology Management.“
Blake
Thompson (legislative assistant for
U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran) introduced
BioDerm to the School
of Pharmacy and the Office of Research
and Sponsored Programs,” Chambliss
said. “Also, Matt Thornton
(vice president of research and innovation
for the Mississippi
Technology Alliance) reviewed the
business needs of the company and
made sure others in economic
development
positions in the state understood
the importance of the opportunity;
Max Hipp was flexible
in working with
the company to meet
their facility needs; and Joey Roberts
(project manager for the
Mississippi Development Authority) worked with the company to determine
financial needs and coordinate financial
help from the state.”
Hoggle also praised Rep. Roger Wicker
and his staff for helping to facilitate
the move.
“
Oxford has three tremendous advantages
for BioDerm Sciences Inc.,” Hoggle
said. They include:
a community and university leadership
that understand and
appreciate the value
of attracting a series
of pharmaceutical companies to
their community; an intelligent,
hardworking
and honest professional
workforce and future employee training
ground at the
University of
Mississippi; and a culture
that understands the importance
of people and the contributions
they make to their community as well as the importance of a commitment
to ensure their companies succeed
in the world markets.
“The strength of the Southern
states’ communities
and academic institutions has
been undervalued
for decades by the health care industry.
BioDerm
Sciences will
be only the first in a long linage
of pharmaceutical and other health
care companies that
will
begin to recognize
the value of such a relocation to Mississippi.”
Chambliss said the move benefits
the university and the state
by offering employment opportunities
for skilled pharmaceutical scientists.
It also provides
opportunities for Ole Miss alumni
to return to Oxford.
Additionally, Chambliss said
that the close proximity of BioDerm
Sciences to the university will facilitate
collaboration on research projects
and enable transfer
of new technologies from the
School
of
Pharmacy to BioDerm Sciences
for commercialization or joint
development
of novel pharmaceutical products.
The company plans to begin occupying
space in the
Oxford Enterprise
Center, part of the
city’s Industrial Park
on Highway 7 North, beginning
Oct. 1.
With the addition of BioDerm
Sciences to Oxford’s existing
pharmaceutical companies– Medical Marketing Economics and
ElSolhy Laboratories – and
the growing number of pharmaceutical
distribution companies near Memphis,
Chambliss said the momentum exists
for development of a“
pharmaceutical cluster” in
north Mississippi, with Oxford
being the hub.
“ We have discussed the advantages
of locating in Oxford to at least four
small
pharmaceutical companies,” Chambliss said. “What
was missing was the presence
of a company of BioDerm Sciences’ global
stature and maturity to demonstrate that the advantages
really exist.
I believe this will serve as
a catalyst for other companies
to seriously consider Oxford.”
Howorth echoed Chambliss’sentiments.
“ BioDerm Sciences appears to
be just the type of match that local
leaders
have been trying to get here,” Howorth said. “It’s
a match that uses university
research capabilities in such a way that has
a positive economic impact
on the community. We couldn’t
be more thrilled.”
(jennifer southall)
About BioDerm Sciences Inc.
A
pharmaceutical and medical device Delaware
C-Corporation
created
to accelerate wound
healing, BioDerm
Sciences optimizes a
portfolio of nine in-licensed
products in
the dermatological fields
of wound
management, sports medicine
and first aid.
BioDerm Sciences
recently launched a series
of these dermatological
products in Europe and
plans to
initiate
U.S. commercialization
in mid-2005. The company
has its current global
headquarters offices
at 1
Research Blvd., Suite
450, Rockville, Md. 20850
and European operations
for its subsidiary, BioDerm
Sciences Ltd.,
at One Earlsfort Centre, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin
2 Ireland. For more information,
go to http://www.biodermsciences.com.
About the University
of Mississippi
The state’s
oldest institution of
higher learning, the
University
of Mississippi is a comprehensive,
Carnegie research extensive
institution, offering
a broad range of undergraduate
and graduate programs as well as opportunities
for continuing study.
The university’s
main campus at Oxford
emphasizes a
traditional, residential
educational experience,
with a central College
of Liberal Arts and several professional
schools. Regional campuses
emphasize
professional
offerings
and primarily serve adult learners,
and the Medical Center
in Jackson trains
professionals
in medicine,
nursing,
dentistry and health-related
professions. The university’s
teaching, research and
service missions are
characterized
by equal
access and equal opportunity
to all who
qualify. For more
stories from
the University of Mississippi,
visit http://www.olemiss.edu/newsdesk.
Contact Information: UM Media and
Public Relations: 662-915-7236 (or)
e-mail:
publicre@olemiss.edu BioDerm
Sciences, Inc. Public
Relations (301)
216-3812
(or) e-mail: mediarelations@biodermsciences.com
|
