S. Yaphank generic drugmaker to expand

A generic drugs manufacturer plans to quadruple the size of its factory in South Yaphank and add 400 jobs over five years, officials said Friday.

The $50-million expansion of Amneal Pharmaceuticals Llc. is one of 13 projects identified last year as "transformative" to Long Island's economy and awarded sizable aid from New York State. Another is a scallop reseeding program on the North Fork aimed at reviving a traditional industry.

Both were highlighted Friday by Kenneth Adams, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's economic development czar, during a trip to Suffolk County.

Adams lauded Amneal's decision to enlarge its operation at 50 Horseblock Rd. About 250 people work in the building, which by December 2013 will grow from 121,000 square feet to 443,000. A separate 42,000-square-foot structure is also planned.

"This creates manufacturing capacity for made-in-the-USA, FDA-approved generic products to be sold in overseas markets in Brazil, Central and South America, the Middle East, China and Asia," Adams said, noting the attractiveness of U.S. medicines because of regulations ensuring quality and safety.

Amneal chief executive Chintu Patel agreed, saying the 10-year-old company hopes to become a major exporter. It sells to Walmart and drugstore chains such as CVS and Rite Aid.

Headquartered in New Jersey, Amneal also has a factory in Hauppauge and a warehouse in Commack. The company employs 752 people locally.

Expansion of the South Yaphank factory is being aided by $3 million from the state, energy discounts from the Long Island Power Authority and tax breaks from the Brookhaven Town Industrial Development Agency.

Later, in Southold, state and local officials learned how $182,900 from the state is being used to restore the Peconic Bay scallop population, decimated in 1985 and 1995 by brown tide algal blooms.

Scallops have begun to come back through a reseeding program begun by the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Long Island University and Suffolk County, said Cornell's Vito Minei.

The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, appointed by Cuomo, recommended the scallop and Amneal projects for state support.

"Ensuring one of the area's traditional industries not only survives but flourishes once again" was a council objective, said co-vice chairman Kevin Law, referring to the scallops initiative.