Tergus Pharma opens new headquarters in Durham as part of company expansion

Tergus Pharma, a company that develops and makes topical pharmaceutical products, opened its new headquarters in Durham Thursday, bringing with it almost 150 new jobs.

Tergus Pharma, a topical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, says the 100,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility is part of the company’s growth plan.

It will allow the company to conduct early phase research, drug development and testing on topical drugs. It previously operated out of a smaller space on Meridian Parkway in Durham.

Gov. Roy Cooper and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein attended a ribbon-cutting Thursday for the new facility.

“When you look at the synergy that we have in biotechnology here in North Carolina, you know that we are the place to be,” Cooper said. “When you look at the quality of life, when you look at the amazing workforce, when you see our great universities, public and private, along with our community colleges, you know that this is the place to be.”

The building, located at 4018 Stirrup Creek Drive, will include Tergus’ corporate headquarters, three research and development labs, six suites, and six filling and packaging suites.

Tergus has 100 employees and plans to hire 140 more over the next three to five years, adding 30 to 40 new positions each year.

Tergus was founded in 2012 as a Contract Research Organization, specializing in topical pharmaceutical research and development. Then, just four employees worked at a 4,000-square-foot lab in Durham.

In 2020, the company broke ground on the new building on Stirrup Creek Drive.

“When the sky’s the limit, Vijendra deserves a pat on the back,” Cooper said, addressing Dr. Vijendra Nalamothu, chairman and CEO of Tergus Pharma.

“Think about all of the families that this affects, the people that you are now employing,” Cooper said. “Think about the topical medications that you are going to get out there to help get people well.”

Cooper, Stein and other dignitaries took a tour of the facility after the ribbon cutting ceremony. Cooper said RTP is on a “hot streak” when it comes to bringing new jobs to the area.

“We are taking off,” Cooper said.

In just the past few months, companies like Apple, Google, Fujifilm Diosynth, Fidelity Investments and Invitae Corporation have hundreds of new jobs that will make their way to the Triangle.

With the pandemic, Stein told the crowd it’s been a difficult year for many people, but the emergence of a vaccine has him is optimistic about the “good things to come.”

“Good things like this new facility and the continued strengthening of North Carolina’s economy,” Stein said. “North Carolina plays a critical role in the pharmaceutical industry and the pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in North Carolina.”

Stein said future employees will be doing work that “makes a difference in people’s lives.”

“Tergus knows that the people in North Carolina are worth investing in,” Stein said. “North Carolina truly is a great place to live, work and to raise a family and it will be a great place for Tergus to continue to grow and develop products that make us all healthier.”