Life Sciences Careers

 

  

From start-ups to leading global companies, Greater Fort Lauderdale provides a stimulating and supportive business environment for success in the life sciences. Johnson & Johnson, Stryker and Teva are among the major medical device, biomedical, pharmaceutical and clinical research with R&D, manufacturing and distribution facilities in Greater Fort Lauderdale.

As a region, South Florida is home to one of the nation's most dynamic industry clusters with convenient access to leading research institutes and academic institutions. To the north are Scripps Florida, Max Planck Florida Institute, Torrey Pines Institute for molecular studies, and VGTI Florida. In Greater Fort Lauderdale – a longtime home for many biomedical companies – Nova Southeastern University is expanding its life science research facilities,  and to the south, the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine is investing in its biomedical research and commercialization programs. The region's academic institutions, research parks and economic development organizations have joined together to form Life Sciences South Florida (LifeSciencesSF.org).  

On a statewide level, BioFlorida is the voice of Florida's life sciences industry with regional chapters that represent nearly 5,500 establishments and research organizations in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices/diagnostics and bioagriculture sectors. BioFlorida’s initiatives provide a strong business climate for the advancement of innovative products that improve lives and promote economic benefits to the state.

Another collaborative asset is the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research, which facilitates the creation of spin-off companies from technology developed at Florida’s publicly funded research institutions. The institute provides support services, including building relationships with seasoned entrepreneurs, in order to hasten the growth of commercially viable discoveries.

A Diverse Industry Cluster

South Florida is home to approximately 1,500 bioscience businesses and institutions that employ more than 26,000 people and generate over $4 billion in sales, according to recent surveys. Leading companies in Greater Fort Lauderdale include:

  • Allergan is a brand/generic pharmaceutical company formerly known as Actavis.  The company's pharmaceutical manufacturing and warehousing facility in Davie manufactures about 2.2 billion units annually. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, and the European Medicines Agency.
  • Aveva Drug Delivery Systems is a global leader in transdermal drug delivery systems. The Miramar company is part of Apotex, Canada's largest pharmaceutical company.
  • Bioheart, Inc. in Sunrise has developed an innovative approach to repairing damaged heart muscle by using the body’s own cells.
  • Bolton Medical in Sunrise develops new products for endovascular aortic treatment.   One of Bolton’s products is its Relay Thoracic Stent-Graft with Plus Delivery System, a life-saving technology offered to patients with Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms.  It allows surgeons to achieve a more satisfactory placement of the stent graft on a range of different patients.
  • Florida Supplement is a nutraceutical manufacturer and packager of nutritional supplements in tablets, capsules, liquids and power blend forms. Located in Miramar, Florida Supplement has manufactured nutritional supplement products for customers in the United States, Latin America and Europe.
  • Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc. is a fully integrated contract manufacturing organization (CMO) of monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins for preclinical and phase I/II/III clinical trials. Plantation-based GBI has worked with companies of all sizes.
  • Hema Diagnostic Systems, LLC is a Miramar company that produces a full line of rapid diagnostic assays for major infectious disease testing (for export only).
  • ImmunoSite Technologies, LLC (IST) is a Miramar-based provider of automation, design and customization of complex biological assays to biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.
  • Lupin recently opened a new facility in Coral Springs.  A U.S. subsidiary of Lupin Limited, a research-oriented pharmaceutical company headquartered in Mumbai, India, Lupin is the fifth largest generics player by prescription.  Lupin’s Coral Springs facility will focus on inhalation products for the treatment of asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and other lung diseases.
  • MAKO Surgical Corp. is a Stryker medical device company in Davie that markets its RIO® Robotic-Arm Interactive Orthopedic system and its proprietary RESTORIS® implants for minimally invasive orthopedic knee procedures.
  • Fort Lauderdale-based OmniComm Systems, Inc. is a global provider of eclinical solutions.
  • OrbusNeich is a medical device company that develops therapies for vascular disease at its Advanced Research and Development facility in Fort Lauderdale.
  • SHL Pharma is expanding and renovating its manufacturing and R&D facility in Deerfield Beach. SHL Pharma is part of SHL Group, the world’s largest privately-owned designer, developer and manufacturer of advanced drug delivery systems.
  • Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., handles engineering, information technology and purchasing services at its facility in Weston.