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Nephron celebrates arrival of first equipment for Nephron Nitrile line

Cayce, SC 08/31/2022 – Flanked by partners, business leaders and public officials, including Governor Henry McMaster and members of Lexington County Council, Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation CEO Lou Kennedy today announced a major milestone for Nephron Nitrile, a plant that will produce American-made, medical-grade first-in-class nitrile gloves.

“We are excited for the arrival of this critical equipment,” said Kennedy. “But, more than that, we are grateful for the partnerships – from South Korea to South Carolina – that have allowed us to make efficient progress over the last year. Now, it is time to start making invaluable gloves right here in Lexington County.

“Nephron Nitrile is a project I have been passionate about because of the positive difference it can make around the state and country,” Kennedy added. “The supply chain disruptions, due to American dependence on foreign sources of PPE, that impacted so many confronting the pandemic underscored the need for companies like ours to step up. We are proud to be able to do it.”

Read the full Lexington Ledger Story

CRBR: Nephron Nitrile welcomes first shipment of equipment

(Columbia Regional Business Report) Nephron Nitrile is one step closer to starting production of nitrile rubber gloves, an important component of personal protective equipment, in West Columbia.

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp. launched the glove company in July 2021 to help the effort to boost domestic production of critical PPE for U.S. health care workers.

Early Monday morning, the first glove production equipment from South Korea arrived at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The shipment included manufacturing lines and will help Nephron Nitrile begin production of the gloves within a few weeks.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and other state and local officials joined Nephron owner and CEO Lou Kennedy to celebrate the shipment’s arrival. Also present was a contingent of business leaders from South Korea, celebrating the country’s technology-sharing agreement with Nephron in getting the plant up and running.

Kennedy said the shipment marked a critical milestone for Nephron Nitrile.

“We are excited for the arrival of this critical equipment but more than that, we are grateful for the partnerships — from South Korea to South Carolina — that have allowed us to make efficient progress over the last year,” Kennedy said. “Now it is time to start making invaluable gloves right here in Lexington County.”

The equipment arrived on what airport officials said was one of the largest airplanes to ever land at CAE: a Boeing B747-8 air freighter flown by cargo specialist Atlas Air. The flight arrived in Columbia at 6:40 a.m. after having made the trip via the South Korean city of Incheon and Anchorage, Alaska.

Kennedy said the successful shipment was the result of collaboration from UPS and CAE officials who helped work out the logistics of bringing such a large plane into Columbia.

Nephron Nitrile will produce the gloves at the Kennedy Innovation Complex, Nephron’s facility in the Saxe Gotha Industrial Park.

Molding forms for the gloves are made by CeramTec, a ceramic and medical technology company with North American headquarters in Laurens.

Kennedy said the pandemic made her passionate about helping to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources for PPE and other health equipment.

Nephron Pharmaceuticals produces and manufactures generic inhalation solutions and pre-filled, sterile syringes through its 503B Outsourcing Facility. Its CLIA-certified lab, which conducted COVID-19 testing for its employees and workers at neighboring businesses, ran low on PPE as the pandemic disrupted global supply chains last spring.

Kennedy and other company officials decided to begin manufacturing nitrile gloves because the gloves were a universal need across many industries.

“At the height of the pandemic nobody had enough gloves — nurses, clinicians, food workers,” Kennedy said. “That’s when we decided we needed to do something to bolster the U.S. supply.”

The short supply of gloves also drove the prices up drastically, causing a box of gloves that regularly sold for only about $3 a box to go up to $30, Kennedy said.

Once Nephron Nitrile is up and running, the plant will produce an estimated three billion nitrile gloves a year.

Kennedy said the goal is to have the first line of gloves completed and ready for testing by the end of September, and then to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration by the end of November.

Lexington County Chronicle: Nephron Nitrile Plant Eyes Fall Opening in West Columbia

November. Or maybe October. Or perhaps September.

That was the tease Nephron Pharmaceuticals CEO Lou Kennedy gave the crowd in a hanger at Columbia Metropolitan Airport on the morning of Aug. 29, speculating about the projected opening date for the Nephron Nitrile glove plant in West Columbia, which is set to bring 250 jobs to the area and annually produce 2.5 billion of the gloves made to handle hazardous substances.

“I keep pushing them to go from November to October to September,” Kennedy said, referring to the company’s South Korean partners, with which it entered into technology-sharing agreements to help bring the plant to fruition.

The first equipment for the plant, including manufacturing lines, arrived via plane earlier the same morning. Kennedy was joined by Gov. Henry McMaster, and other S.C. officials including state Sen. Nikki Setzler and Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey, as her company marked the occasion.

According to a release, the more-than-400,000-square-foot Nephron Nitrile facility to be located at Saxe Gotha Industrial Park, where Nephron is headquartered, is nearing the end of construction.

Kennedy said it’s been pretty much smooth sailing since the company announced the plant in July of last year, but did touch on one snag the company has hit.

“The only impediment we have is literally our own neighbors right here in Cayce,” she said. “They’re not real clear about wanting us to grow in Saxe Gotha Park because of water issues. But we hope we’re going to overcome those.”

McMaster touted the importance of pharmaceutical endeavors like Nephron Nitrile choosing to make South Carolina their home.

“It’s a dangerous world,” he said. “And the supply chain is disrupted, of course, by the pandemic. The supply chain can be disrupted by a lot of other things as well — look at what’s going on in Ukraine, there’s some supply chains that are disrupted there. But it is a dangerous world and having the capacity and the ability to do these important things — particularly pharmaceuticals, things that keep people well, alive, healthy and happy in our state — are enormously powerful.”

Kennedy credited the airport and UPS for completing the large shipment.

“Two weeks ago, I didn’t believe we’d be able to get a plane of this size full of our first line of equipment into CAE,” she said.

Read to full Lexington County Chronicle story

Nephron Nitrile Announces Historic Made-in-America Milestone

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. – Flanked by partners, business leaders and public officials, including Governor Henry McMaster and members of Lexington County Council, Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation CEO Lou Kennedy today announced a major milestone for Nephron Nitrile, a plant that will produce American-made, medical-grade first-in-class nitrile gloves.

Thanks to the hard work of indispensable logistics experts from UPS and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE), Kennedy, a Made-in-America champion, led a celebration for the arrival of the first equipment – including manufacturing lines – that will allow Nephron Nitrile to begin production of gloves within weeks.

The equipment began arriving by flight, landing at CAE, early Monday morning.

“We are excited for the arrival of this critical equipment,” said Kennedy. “But, more than that, we are grateful for the partnerships – from South Korea to South Carolina – that have allowed us to make efficient progress over the last year. Now, it is time to start making invaluable gloves right here in Lexington County.

“Nephron Nitrile is a project I have been passionate about because of the positive difference it can make around the state and country,” Kennedy added. “The supply chain disruptions, due to American dependence on foreign sources of PPE, that impacted so many confronting the pandemic underscored the need for companies like ours to step up. We are proud to be able to do it.”

Nephron Nitrile – headquartered in more than 400,000 square feet of space – is nearing the completion of construction. It represents an investment of more than $100 million in the Midlands. The plant will generate at least 250 jobs for the area.

Kennedy, and the entire Nephron team, have made reducing the American dependence on foreign sources of critical health care-related items, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and lifesaving medications, a top priority. Kennedy joined the governor when he announced an executive order to safeguard South Carolina from supply chain disruptions, such as those caused by countries like China, experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic by working to manufacture even more essential, life-saving products in South Carolina.

A West Columbia, S.C.-based company, Nephron develops and produces safe, affordable generic inhalation solutions and suspension products. The company also operates an industry-leading 503B Outsourcing Facility division which produces pre-filled sterile syringes, luer-lock vials, IV bottles and IV bags for hospitals across America, in an effort to alleviate drug shortage needs. Nephron launched a CLIA-certified diagnostics lab last year where it tests people for COVID-19 and administers vaccinations.

 

ABC Columbia: Nephron Nitrile to produce medical gloves in West Columbia

 

See the full WOLO story

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) –  Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced equipment arrival for its new plant that is based in West Columbia. The Nephron Nitrile plant will the first in the country to produce American-made, medical-grade first-in-class nitrile gloves

Local and state leaders gathered at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport for the first line of equipment for Nephron Nitrile to arrive. What’s on board will allow the production of gloves to begin within weeks. 

“This is the beginning of a whole lot of these things hopefully shipping right out of this airport and on to others and customers across the country,” says Lou Kennedy, who is the CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Nephron Nitrile is an expansion of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Kennedy says the plant is near completion, it is an investment of more than $100 million in the Midlands and will bring at least 250 jobs to the area. Governor Henry McMaster credited his executive order that safeguards the state from supply chain issues.

“It’s a dangerous world and the supply chain was disrupted of course by the pandemic. Supply issues can be disrupted by a lot of other things as well. Look at what’s going on in Ukraine, there are some supply chains disrupted there. It is a dangerous world and having the capacity and the ability to do these important things particularly pharmaceuticals things that keep people well, alive, healthy, and happy in our state is enormously important,” says Governor Henry McMaster. 

The plant will produce around 2.5 billion gloves a year. Columbia Metropolitan Airport says it has the largest cargo operations in the state and is always looking for opportunities to expand.

“We’re always exploring new innovative ways to grow our cargo systems process and our overall operations and with announcements like this we feel like we are well on the way,” says Mike Gula, who is the Executive Director for Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Kennedy says Nephron’s goal is to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of -critical- health care-related items. “We found ourselves, all of us during the pandemic without gloves. There’s still a supply chain issue with quality gloves that don’t break when you put them on. We wanted to show that we can and will make things in America and why not South Carolina.”

CRBJ: Female executives: Business acumen fostered at early age

South Carolina female CEOs and entrepreneurs were interviewed on stage by S.C. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a casual conversation to discuss their roles, passion and drive during the Inspiring Women Leaders Luncheon in conjunction with the SC Biz News North Charleston Business Expo.

Evette — a female executive herself who founded payroll, human resources and benefits services accounting firm Quality Business Solutions Inc. — welcomed Lou Kennedy, owner and CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals, which will add a plant to make Nitrile gloves in the next few weeks.

Starting girls early learning STEM subjects, business and logistics was a topic among the female executives.

“We’ve got to get earlier in the grade level and education system and try to inspire children to pick jobs like supply chain, microbiology, chemistry or cybersecurity and tell them about what we have to offer earlier than past generations,” Kennedy said. “I think most parents and most children don’t understand that manufacturing is not like the turn-of-the-century manufacturing or even from the 1950s and 1960s; we have cool buildings with hip robotics and we’re more like a tech firm.”

Kennedy said Nephron Pharmaceuticals hired a person specifically to arrange school field trips to the plant in West Columbia to inspire the next generation.

“We’ve had 40-50 field trips since she started, kids of all ages — little kids, older kids — and we built a glass viewing corridor, a showcase, to make it student friendly.”

Kennedy said valuable degrees are in supply chain, including shipping, logistics, purchasing and banking and she touted the state’s higher education institutions with offering quality business programs.

Read the Charleston Regional Business Report’s full story.

Nephron’s Lou and Bill Kennedy inspire students at MUSC College of Pharmacy white coat ceremony

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Aug. 17, 2022) – Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation CEO and owner Lou Kennedy and husband, Bill Kennedy, the company’s chief business development officer, delivered the keynote address at the 2022 white coat ceremony for the College of Pharmacy at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

The invitation-only event, held Aug.12 in the auditorium of MUSC’s Drug Discovery Building, is an annual tradition. During the ceremony, 61 incoming pharmacy students were presented with their first white coats, the symbol of clinical service and care. 

Philip Hall, Pharm.D., dean of the MUSC College of Pharmacy, introduced the Kennedys. “Lou and Bill Kennedy are two of the most dynamic figures in South Carolina pharmacy,” said Hall. “They are both outstanding role models for entrepreneurship, innovation and business acumen. The great success they have engendered at Nephron offers inspiration for all students entering our program.”

In their keynote, the Kennedys emphasized the need for the brightest minds and talented young people to continue to pursue careers as pharmacists. 

“Pharmaceuticals has changed since my husband, Bill, graduated. There is unlimited potential for those who realize their own dreams are their only limits,” said Lou Kennedy. “You can be in academia. You can be in regulatory work for a body like the Food and Drug Administration. You can work in drug discovery and help us find new drugs to treat new illnesses or old illnesses, like cystic fibrosis, where a lot of great work is being done here at MUSC.” 

Lou, who holds a degree in public relations, and Bill, a pharmacist by trade, have embraced that philosophy –combining their talents to spur Nephron to unprecedented growth. Today, the state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in West Columbia employs nearly 2,000 people and is a leader in manufacturing generic respiratory medications. “I have used pharmacy in every job that I’ve had since 1966,” Bill Kennedy said. “And still use it every day, so pharmacy is a great education.” 

He also encouraged the students to find opportunities to gain experience in other fields like retail, business and manufacturing. “The intersection of pharmacy, innovation and business is as fascinating as it is rewarding, and the work you have done has equipped you to explore this intersection – and we encourage you to do it,” Lou Kennedy advised the MUSC College of Pharmacy students. “When you do it in a collaborative environment with people you work well with, you’re going to make a difference – and make South Carolina proud.” 

In closing, they offered their congratulations to the Class of 2026 and advised them to take the opportunity to give back. 

“The opportunities you are about to be afforded will open doors for you, and the most impactful thing you can do beyond your day-to-day work is to afford those same opportunities to the next generation of aspiring pharmacists and pharmaceuticals manufacturers,” Lou Kennedy said.

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