CAGUAS, PUERTO RICO – Invest Puerto Rico (InvestPR), the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC), and the Autonomous Municipality of Caguas announced that Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Aurobindo Pharma Limited, India has established operations in Puerto Rico under the name Auro PR, Inc. The initiative, which represents an investment of around $100 million over the next few years and is expected to potentially generate 500 jobs in the first three to five years, further underscores Puerto Rico’s position as an important bioscience manufacturing hub, accounting for the island’s six-decade legacy in this vital sector.
Auro PR, Inc. acquired a 240,000 square foot pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Caguas, where they employ approximately 350 people, and a 33-acre parcel of land in Caguas, to expand the existing manufacturing operation and grow their workforce.
Governor Pedro Pierluisi said, “Once again, Puerto Rico demonstrates that we have the talent, resources, and capabilities as a world leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The collaboration between Invest Puerto Rico, the Department of Economic Development, and the Municipality of Caguas has resulted in a new opportunity for economic growth with a positive impact on the island’s central region. Puerto Rico continues to position itself as an ideal destination to attract international companies, relocating or expanding operations on the island.”
The Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce of Puerto Rico, Manuel Cidre Miranda, reiterated that “Puerto Rico continues to advance on its path towards industrial transformation. The DDEC and Invest Puerto Rico work hand in hand in the bioscience and medical device manufacturing sectors, attracting leading global companies. Our talent and human capital, an orderly business ecosystem, and the benefits and incentives make up an attractive value proposition for industries that seek to innovate and grow using Puerto Rico as a gateway to the most important economy in the hemisphere.”
Auro PR’s journey to Puerto Rico began at a Select USA professional conference, where the company connected with Invest Puerto Rico. Company executives immediately saw the value of setting up operations in Puerto Rico and began an exhaustive site evaluation process with various public and private stakeholders. The pharmaceutical company is very optimistic about its new operation in Caguas.
“Puerto Rico once again heeds the call of innovation and is committed to supporting Auro PR on its mission. The company is leveraging our available talent, resources, and capabilities as a world leader in bioscience manufacturing to make meaningful advancements in the sector. Through Auro PR’s activities, Puerto Rico strengthens its role as an industry hub and heightens its ever-resilient business ecosystem,” said Rodrick Miller, CEO of Invest Puerto Rico, the Island’s economic development organization.
William E. Miranda Torres, Mayor of the Caguas Autonomous Municipality, said “the arrival of Auro PR, Inc. to our city demonstrates the result of teamwork among different entities with the local government to attract investment that will benefit the city and, of course, our country. We were actively involved in the process to demonstrate why Caguas is an excellent place to invest. Today we see with satisfaction that Auro PR will contribute to the retention and creation of jobs in the city, which are jobs in sciences that have growth opportunities; saves the use of first-class industrial infrastructure, and join the business ecosystem of our city.”
Auro PR, Inc. will support the global footprint of its parent company, Aurobindo Pharma Limited, India. The products manufactured in Puerto Rico will be sold in the United States and in the future, to other countries as well. Aurobindo Pharma Limited’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc., a New Jersey-based generic pharmaceutical company, is currently the #1 supplier by volume of oral solids (tablets) for the 12 months between March of 2020 and February of 2021 per Intercontinental Medical Statistics (IMS), supplying 19 billion tablets in a year. Aurobindo’s business has been growing year after year in all segments, including oral solids, injectables, and over-the-counter medications.