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Expects to open offices in April, hire 100

Ipsen will relocate its U.S. operations headquarters from Brisbane, Ca. to Bridgewater in an effort to enhance its North American commercial organization, the company announced Thursday.

In line with the company’s increased focus on such key products as Somatuline Depot and Dyport, Ipsen is reorganizing Biomeasure, its U.S. subsidiary, including moving the headquarters to Bridgewater in an effort to better serve the company’s commercial and medical objectives.

The Bridgewater site is a more than 30,000-square-foot facility, under a six-and-a-half-year lease, and is described as reflective of a commitment to strengthening Ipsen’s U.S. and global presence and provide specialty-care expertise to underserved neurological and endocrine disease communities.

“New Jersey is the leading biopharmaceutical center in the U.S. and Ipsen is ready and eager to be a part of that community of innovators,” Sean McKercher, president and general manager of Ipsen North America, said. “This move was a natural choice for Ipsen, given New Jersey’s ready access to international travel hubs, deep pool of pharma talent, and business incentives for the biopharma sector – and it reflects our commitment to champion medicines for patients with severely debilitating diseases in need of therapeutic options.”

The company expects to hire more than 100 employees, including many members of its developing executive team, who will work from the Bridgewater location. The company expects to begin operation from the Bridgewater location by April.

“Adding innovator companies and jobs to New Jersey’s strong biopharmaceutical sector is a critical component of Governor Christie’s economic growth agenda,” Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said. “Welcoming Ipsen to the ranks of healthcare companies calling New Jersey home is an important step for our state and the national economy – it will help provide high-quality, high-paying jobs for residents and spur innovative medicine development.”

In a related development, CareKinesis Inc. of Moorestown was approved for a $500,000 investment by the state Economic Development Authority through the Edison Innovation VC Growth Fund Program. It is the first company approved for assistance under the new Edison Innovation Fund programs that were introduced in August and target emerging technology and life sciences companies that have attracted capital through angel and venture capital investors.

CareKinesis provides personalized medication management and customized medication distribution for elderly and other at-risk individuals. The company, which will use the funding to support working capital needs, expects to create 40 new jobs.

AccelRx Labs was approved by the EDA for a $130,625 Business Employment Incentive Program (BEIP) grant to help encourage the company to create 25 jobs to start up a manufacturing facility in East Windsor. AccelRx is a newly-formed company that will provide pill encapsulation outsourcing capability for the pharmaceutical industry.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals was approved for a $600,000 BEIP grant to help encourage the company to open a new packaging and distribution facility in East Hanover and create 200 new jobs. Amneal, a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, opened its new research and development and manufacturing facility in Piscataway in March and expects to create 150 new jobs to support the operation.

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM