Curia, a leading contract research, development and manufacturing organization, today hosted a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of its expanded campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The additional space will house a new, advanced isolated high-speed fill-finish vial line – which includes biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) containment as well as two lyophilizers for the high-speed fill-finish line and an isolated flexible filling line for vials, syringes, and cartridges to support smaller-batch advanced therapies.
“We are delighted to recognize the beginning of construction for this much-needed expansion in bioscientific capacity and capabilities,” said Curia Chairman and CEO, John Ratliff. “I’m proud of the important work performed by Curia’s team here in Albuquerque, as they conduct the last step in the complex manufacturing process needed for injectable vaccines and medicines. Each day, they advance our mission of delivering life-changing life science as part of a broader community dedicated to improving health. The expansion will not only provide career opportunities in New Mexico, it enables Curia to make a greater contribution to the production of vaccines and treatments, potentially saving millions of lives locally, nationally and globally. We appreciate the support and collaboration of all the organizations represented at our ground-breaking celebration.”
The expansion was part of a cooperative agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) and the U.S. Army Contracting Command’s Joint COVID Response Division (ACC-JCRD) to support the domestic production of injectable medicines. The State of New Mexico is also supporting the expansion through assistance from the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job creation fund. Curia is also eligible for state assistance for employee job training from JTIP, New Mexico’s Job Training Incentive Program.
Curia leadership partners contributing to today’s ground-breaking event included New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.
The facility expansion is designed by Burns & McDonnell and will be constructed by BE&K Building Group. The flexible filling line and high-speed fill-finish vial line are planned to be operational in 2025.
