Pharmaceutical company breaks ground on Albemarle facility, expected to create over 200 jobs

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- An official groundbreaking was held on Monday for a new Afton Scientific biopharmaceutical facility located in Charlottesville.

The ceremony took place on Monday, Sept. 29, to mark the beginning of construction for the 285,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to create over 200 new jobs, per a release.

Key stakeholders were in attendance, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, as well as several officials with Albemarle County and members of the Afton Scientific team.

Afton Scientific is a pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for sterile injectables. The development of this facility aims to strengthen the presence of the county and state within the biopharmaceutical industry.

When finished, the building will provide Afton Scientific with the ability to run larger batch sizes at high speed, allowing for increased support for the global industry, a release said.

Additionally, 5,000 square feet of lab space is being added to Afton Scientific's Avon One building -- with further expansion plans in the works as well.

The locations of Afton Scientific's current Charlottesville facilities include 2020 and 2030 Avon Court.