Local biopharmaceutical manufacturer welcomes new CEO to expanded facilities

A local company that helps produce life-saving pharmaceuticals has appointed a new chief executive officer.

Industry veteran Brian Gregg on Monday became the CEO of AmbioPharm Inc., a company in Beech Island, S.C., that produces peptides on a contract basis for major pharmaceutical companies.

Peptides are important components for drugs to treat diabetes, cancer indications, cardiovascular disease, HIV and gastric issues.

AmbioPharm officially is a “contract development and manufacturing organization,” or CDMO, which is a company frequently outsourced by drug makers to better manage their manufacturing scalability.

Where it all started: Biotech company moves into plant

Gregg joined AmbioPharm after a 32-year career at Bachem Americas, a rival CDMO where he was chief operating officer for nearly a decade.

“AmbioPharm has invested significant effort and capital building out its systems, organization, buildings and equipment, and the company is well-positioned to capture the opportunities in the global peptide CDMO market,” he said in a statement released Monday.

In May, AmbioPharm announced that it had purchased new equipment to "to accommodate and support growth in late phase and commercial production," the company said.

AmbioPharm moved into the former UCB Bioproducts facility in the North Augusta Industrial Park in 2007, establishing its company headquarters and manufacturing operations initially in a 10,000-square-foot facility.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta-area company that makes life-saving drugs welcomes new CEO