Science sector generates progress

The bioscience industry in the Sarasota-Bradenton region recently scored two more big victories.

First, on June 17, Manatee County officials announced Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, a Virginia-based firm that develops drugs and medications for inflammatory conditions and neurological diseases, plans to relocate to the county. The company, formerly Star Scientific Inc., will lease space from the Roskamp Institute, a nationally recognized organization that studies diseases of the mind. Rock Creek, states a Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. release, says it will add 16 high-paying jobs over the next five years. Manatee County officials approved $48,000 in performance-based incentives for the jobs.

The next day Lakewood Ranch-based Lakewood-Amedex, a biopharmaceutical firm that develops products to treat serious infectious diseases, announced it had raised $5.5 million. The firm, according to a release, calls the capital raise a major milestone that will allow it to “significantly increase its business development activities.” That includes funding new trials and potential partnerships to develop products that treat oncology applications, inflammatory conditions and other chronic human diseases.

These two announcements came on the heels of more big doings in bioscience: The statewide association for the industry, BioFlorida, recently launched a new chapter for the region, first reported by the Business Observer in April. The West Palm Beach-based statewide trade organization has chapters in Fort Myers-Naples; Miami-Broward; Orlando; Pensacola-Tallahassee; Jacksonville-Gainesville; and Palm Beach-Treasure Coast.