Subscribe
Close
  • Free for qualified executives and consultants to industry

  • Receive quarterly issues of Area Development Magazine and special market report and directory issues

Renew

Curia Expands Albuquerque, New Mexico, Operations Center

03/25/2022
Curia, formerly AMRI, a leading contract research, development, and manufacturing organization, is expanding its operational facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The $100 million project is expected to create 274 jobs.

The 65,000-square-foot expansion includes the addition of a new advanced isolated high-speed, fill-finish vial line, which includes biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) containment, two lyophilizers, automated visual inspection technology, automated packaging capacity, ultra-cold storage capability, and enhanced security features. Curia is also adding an isolated flexible filling line for vials, syringes, and cartridges at its Balloon Park Road facility.

“We see this expansion as a great opportunity to make a greater impact in New Mexico, which I’m proud to call our home,” Jonathan Shoemaker, vice president and general manager, Curia Albuquerque, said. “We are fortunate to have access to a skilled workforce and strong partnerships in the community, all committed to growing businesses, creating jobs, and fulfilling our mission to improve patients' lives.”

As an incentive, the State of New Mexico is contributing up to $5 million to support the expansion through assistance from the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job-creation fund. The company is also eligible for state assistance for employee job training from JTIP, New Mexico's highly touted Job Training Incentive Program.

The City of Albuquerque has tentatively pledged up to $500,000 to the project, subject to final approval by the Albuquerque City Council.

“Gov. Lujan Grisham’s leadership in targeting economic assistance to industries such as biosciences and advanced manufacturing is reshaping economic development in New Mexico,” Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said. “We are focusing resources on the job-rich, higher-paying industries of the future, and we see again with Curia and other investments that this strategy is working.”

Curia recently announced a cooperative agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the Department of Defense Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, and the U.S. Army Contracting Command to support the domestic production of injectable medicines.

“Curia’s (AMRI) expansion announcement is yet another testament to the competitive position of our region, as well as the commitment at the state and local level to supporting existing business growth. This pharmaceutical industry innovation will contribute significant capital investment and net new high-wage jobs to Greater Albuquerque,” Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance (AREA) President and CEO Danielle Casey said.

Curia’s existing Albuquerque facility supports the supply of various products that are used to save and improve lives, including treatments and vaccines for cancer and for cardiovascular, auto-immune, infectious, and rare diseases. The site is also the location of Curia’s “Sterile University.” A unique training program in the pharmaceutical industry, Sterile University provides a simulated sterile manufacturing environment that replicates the facilities, equipment, operations, and protocols so employees can develop the skills that help them work safely, efficiently, and accurately.

Exclusive Research