Drug company plans 16 hires in Manatee County

BRADENTON — Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, a Virginia-based publicly traded firm that develops drugs and medications for inflammatory conditions, neurological diseases and behavioral health, plans to relocate to Manatee County.

The firm, formerly named Star Scientific Inc., will lease space from the Roskamp Institute, a nationally recognized organization that studies diseases of the mind. Rock Creek, according to a release from the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp., plans to add 16 high-paying jobs over the next five years. Some of the firm's current employees will also relocate to the area over the next few months, coming from Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington, D.C., say Roskamp officials.

Rock Creek and the Roskamp Institute have partnered on several projects prior to the announcement, and Roskamp CEO Dr. Michael Mullan is also Rock Creek's chairman and CEO. One recent project the organizations worked together on was a successful multiple sclerosis study on how a specially formulated anti-inflammatory agent was used to reduce paralysis of hind limbs in test mice.

“Our plan is to consolidate operations at the institute's Bradenton area location, and grow our staff for research and development, sales and marketing from a headquarters here,” Dr. Mullan says in the release.

Manatee County officials and the Bradenton EDC assisted Rock Creek in the move. The EDC helped the firm apply for rapid response permitting, and Manatee County recently approved $48,000 in performance-based subsidies. Rock Creek must hire the 16 employees over five years at an average wage twice the Manatee County annual average to qualify for the incentives.