Columbia, S.C. (February 22, 2024) — The Ritedose Corporation (Ritedose) today announced a major expansion of its rapidly-growing pharmaceutical company with the recent purchase of 105 acres from the Midlands Technical College Enterprise Campus in Richland Northeast.
Slated to break ground in the coming weeks, the company is renaming the new property “Ritedose Performance Park,” a nod to Ritedose’s deep commitment to its performance excellence motto of “zero margin for errors” to honor the patients it serves.
The Ritedose Corporation is an industry leader in the production of sterile, single-dose medication, serving the contract development manufacturing, generics and 503B outsourcing markets. The company’s customers range from small startups and retail pharmacies to large pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers and hospital systems.
This expansion is part of a multi-phased project totaling more than $81M over 4 years. When complete, the sprawling campus will house nearly 500,000 sq. ft. of space dedicated to the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of pharmaceuticals.
The first building on the newly acquired property will be a 225,000 sq. ft. central distribution and logistics center. The land is contiguous to the Carolina Research Park off Farrow Road in Richland County, home to Ritedose’s corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility at 1 Technology Circle.
“There continues to be a nationwide surge in demand for the medications we produce — especially for respiratory diseases. The volume of medications we’re producing has surpassed 1.5 billion doses annually, and we expect to produce more than 2 billion doses annually in the coming years,” said Ritedose President and CEO Jody Chastain. “Our production of ophthalmic medications has also rapidly increased due to demand from cutting edge ophthalmic drug developers. I’m incredibly proud of our team for working hard and smart to meet the needs of millions of patients across the United States and doing it with absolute integrity and excellence.”
The company started out with 16 acres when it first broke ground in 1995. In all, the Ritedose campus now comprises about 138 acres of land in northeast Columbia.
“When the Midlands Technical College Commission created the Enterprise Campus years ago, commissioners envisioned this property as a catalyst for workforce and economic development in our community. We are pleased that vision has now come to fruition,” said Dr. Ron Rhames, MTC President.
Included in the expansion plans is a one-mile nature walking path for employee wellness that will meander along nine acres of protected wetlands.
The addition of the facility will add more than 100 jobs to Ritedose’s ever-growing workforce of more than 550 employees. With an emphasis on providing an exceptional workplace for its employees, Ritedose remains a leading employer in the Midlands. The average salary and benefit package for employees can total up to $90,000 a year.
“We are proud to be an employer of choice in the Midlands and draw talent from our backyard as well as all over the country due to our reputation for producing high-quality products for the patients we serve,” continued Chastain. “Since our last expansion in 2018, we have seen nearly 50-percent growth in manufacturing and sales, and we are projecting an annual double-digit growth for the foreseeable future — in part due to the development of new product lines. We are the manufacturer of multiple medications for different diseases, many of which are in clinical trials that will significantly expand our portfolio and improve the quality of life for millions of patients once approved by the USFDA. Our team is excited about this expansion, as well as our accelerated trajectory that will help us serve even more patients.”
About Ritedose
Ritedose is the largest sterile contract development manufacturing organization in the U.S. specializing in advanced Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) technology that ensures sterile, consistent and safe unit dose delivery. The company’s process guides the development of molecules from clinical trials to commercialization of branded and generic inhalation and ophthalmic medications and compounding single-unit dose syringes.