Virginia lands $12.5M investment from India-based pharmaceutical company

An India-based pharmaceutical company is investing $12.5 million to establish a packaging operation in Prince William County, creating 57 new jobs.

The Granules India Ltd. facility will be part of the company’s Consumer Health division. Granules will lease 79,000 square feet of the Parkway 66 property at 7413 Cushing Road in Manassas and build out packaging lines and clean rooms to package and ship pharmaceuticals.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Prince William County to secure the project for the Commonwealth. Former Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Prince William County with the project.

“The addition of a U.S. packaging facility will result in Granules being among the few pharmaceutical companies to be vertically integrated from API to packaging, which will bolster the robustness of Granules’ supply chain while also enabling the company to react even faster to consumers’ growing needs for pharmaceutical products,” said Dr. Krishna Prasad Chigurupati, founder and managing director of Granules India Ltd.

“The company chose Virginia because of Prince William County’s responsiveness which allowed Granules faster access to commercialization. In addition, Prince William offers a dynamic and diverse workforce that is eager to work along with the site’s proximity to several major seaports. Granules also chose to expand within Virginia to leverage its existing manufacturing footprint and workforce,” Chigurupati said.

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Hyderabad, India, Granules India serves leading brand and generics companies in over 75 countries with eight manufacturing facilities around the world. The company manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients, pharmaceutical formulation intermediates, and finished dosages, and its products include common consumer drugs such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and guaifenesin, the key ingredient in Mucinex.

Granules employs 130 people at a pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing facility in Fairfax County.

“Virginia continues to attract pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Granules India’s new packaging operation in Prince William County is an important addition to the pharmaceutical ecosystem in the Commonwealth,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said. “The company’s decision to expand its footprint in Virginia is a testament to our infrastructure and robust workforce, and we look forward to further development of this partnership.”

“When a global company like Granules India establishes a second Virginia operation, it reinforces that our business-friendly climate, collaborative environment, and skilled workforce,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “The Commonwealth’s pharmaceutical sector has gained significant momentum in recent years, and we thank Granules for continuing our success in this booming industry.”