‌

Biopharma Industry

Georgia’s biopharma ecosystem is strong in all stages of product development, from concept to commercialization. In 2023, Georgia exported $1.1 billion in medical devices and total trade for immunological products reached $7 billion. Our diverse workforce is skilled in a range of manufacturing positions, and supported by strong research universities and organizations that conduct R&D and clinical testing.

‌

Since 1842, when Dr. Crawford Long first used ether for surgical anesthesia, Georgia’s collaborative community has continued to make breakthrough discoveries in the development of vaccines, plasma therapies, and more.

A few of the biopharma companies operating in Georgia are:

Arbor Pharmaceuticals

Axiom Labs

Boehringer Ingelheim

Dendreon Corporation

Mikart Inc.

MiMedx Group

Normaco Inc.

RVL Pharma

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare

Sanofi

Takeda

UCB

Georgia’s Diverse Pharmaceutical Talent Pool

More than 75,000 Georgians work directly in life sciences; drug and pharmaceutical companies employ more than 3,000 people. The state’s workforce includes chemical engineers, chemists, and chemical technicians; pharmacists and pharmacy technicians; biochemists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, and other medical scientists.

As the Tech Capital of the South, Georgia also offers people with a range of technical skills including software development, cybersecurity, and data analytics. More than 169,000 people work in technology fields, and Georgia ranks highly for tech talent diversity.

More than 150,000 degrees are earned each year through Georgia’s public and private colleges and universities, and the number of life science-related degrees has increased by 14% over the last five years. Additionally, Georgia’s moderate climate and low cost of living draws many of the one million graduates each year from colleges and universities within 250 miles of Atlanta.

Through the University of Georgia (UGA), certificate programs in Regulatory Sciences and Clinical Trials Design & Management are on-line and part-time, and were developed in partnership with life science companies. The programs comprise graduate credit courses that may be applied toward a Master’s Degree in Pharmacy.

Georgia is invested in developing the workforce needed across a range of industries and cultivates career paths with educational programs starting in K-12 levels. This provides students with an early start on accredited college-level courses and technical certification programs. Each Career Academy is built through partnerships between a local school system, a technical college, and local business leaders to produce a long-term talent pipeline for the workforce needs specific to each community.

“Thanks to the great team we’ve developed and the resources Georgia has provided, we’ve been able to exceed our projected production volumes. It’s not just the specialized workforce we need, it’s the whole life-sciences ecosystem here and knowing the state is focused on making a difference in healthcare globally.”

Carlos Soto, VP of Manufacturing Operations, Takeda

Georgia Bioscience Training Center

Completed in 2015, the Georgia Bioscience Training Center offers customized workforce training programs with high tech labs for pre-employment assessments, gowning simulations, production system and manufacturing training, testing of raw materials and microorganisms, aseptic practices, technology maintenance and metrology training, and computer labs. The center is operated by Quick Start, the nation’s #1 workforce training program, and is designed to be altered to teach a variety of processes, pending a client’s needs.

Georgia's Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Advantages

Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing is consistently the largest industry in biopharmaceuticals in the state. Georgia is home to some of the largest contract research organizations (CRO), and contract development and manufacturing companies (CDMO) across the globe. Georgia also has the resources needed for the transition to digital manufacturing. GDEcD’s Center of Innovation offers expertise and connections in developing smart factories, and local colleges and universities offer degree programs and extensive research capabilities focused on artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics and mechatronics.

Logistics and Cold Storage

Georgia’s seamless network of air, sea, and ground transportation provides your company direct access to get raw materials and pharmaceuticals to where they need to go, quickly and efficiently. Georgia offers the eigth largest refrigerated space capacity of any U.S. state with over 60 cold chain storage facilities found across the state. Eight companies operating at Hartsfield-Jackson, including Delta Cargo, are certified CEIV Pharma. Learn more about Georgia’s infrastructure capabilities.

Business Incentives

Our low corporate tax rate of 5.39% is based on one factor: your sales inside Georgia. Recently legislation added a Life Science Manufacturing Tax Credit Bonus. This bonus is added to the existing Job Tax Credit, an incentive offered to new or expanding companies creating jobs in Georgia. This credit applies to jobs that manufacture pharmaceuticals, medicines, and medical equipment and supplies in Georgia. Learn more about Georgia’s incentives and competitive business environment.

Biopharma Partners

For more than 30 years, Georgia Bio (a division of Center for Global Health Innovation) has worked to drive public policy, build a network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs. It is an independent, non-profit trade association, with the mission of advancing the growth of Georgia’s life sciences industry and fostering strategic partnerships that can create a healthier world.

Georgia is a vibrant & diverse hub for innovation. The Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA) is a new nonprofit that is establishing a better model for creating, protecting and enabling intellectual property. GIPA is a coalition of education institutions, world-leading research labs, innovation-focused organizations, companies, and other creators, focusing on accelerating the market launch of ideas that serve the common good, while specializing in protecting IP, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.