Ark.-based drug company opening facility in state

Will add 361 jobs to economy over 4 years

An Arkansas-based drug company has reached a deal with Connecticut officials to open up a new 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Windsor and add 361 jobs to the state’s economy over the next four years.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced the deal with SCA Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday. SCA is leasing a facility at 755 Rainbow Road in Windsor and the state Department of Economic and Community Development plans to provide the company with an $8.5 million loan for improvements to the building as well as for the purchase of machinery and equipment. The money for the loan still must be approved by the state Bond Commission.

Terms of the loan agreement were not immediately available.

SCA Pharmaceuticals makes drugs in ready-to-administer dosages for hospitals and other health care facilities in 47 states. It was not immediately clear when the company’s Connecticut facility will begin operating.

SCA employs 210 people in Arkansas, according to Connecticut officials.

The company’s chief executive officer, Dr. Gene Graves, said in a statement that Connecticut “represents an ideal location for SCA, driven by its incredible workforce and myriad of transportation options.” But company officials weren’t immediately available to address why SCA would want a new factory so far from its Little Rock, Arkansas, headquarters.

The company has a 17,000-square-foot facility in that city, according to the SCA website.

Malloy said Connecticut has a strategic location for “businesses that are looking to bring their operations to the East Coast.”

“This is an important sector of our economy, and we are thrilled that this company is adding hundreds of good, high-quality jobs in our state,” Malloy said in a statement.

Malloy’s administration has made a concerted effort to bolster the state as a hub for drug companies, biotech firms and health care businesses.

DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith said SCA’s decision to locate its new facility near Bradley International Airport shows its importance as a transportation hub.

“The company chose a location in close proximity so it could get its products to customers quickly and easily,” Smith said.