Evonik Birmingham Laboratories

Evonik Degussa Corporation Birmingham Laboratories (formerly Brookwood Pharmaceuticals and SurModics Pharmaceuticals) is a drug delivery division of Essen, Germany's Evonik Industries. It is located in the former Saks, Inc. headquarters at 750 Lakeshore Parkway. Brookwood Pharmaceuticals founder and CEO Art Tipton remained with the company until 2013 when he was named president and CEO of Southern Research. Evonik's Birmingham site manager is Kel Boisvert.

Brookwood Pharmaceuticals was created in 2005 when the non-profit Southern Research Institute spun off its drug development and delivery division as a for-profit entity with offices at 756 Tom Martin Drive in Oxmoor Valley. The informal discussions that led to the spin-off were held at a restaurant at Brookwood Village, which inspired the company's name. On August 1, 2007 Brookwood Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries, Lakeshore Biomaterials and Aeon Biosciences, were sold to Minnesota-based SurModics Inc. for $40 million.

In 2007 Brookwood proposed a new $40 million manufacturing and training facility that would create as many as 300 new jobs. An incentive agreement with local governments would provide $7.6 million in public funds, predominantly in recruitment, screening, and training services and equipment provided by the state. In 2008 Brookwood purchased the former Parisian Headquarters on Lakeshore Parkway for just over $12 million and made plans for $30 million in renovations and equipment.

SurModics sold the division to Evonik in November 2011. The company has made its Birmingham Laboratories the home of its "Competence Center for Medical Devices," along with a RESOMER production facility. The company has operated a production facility in Mobile since 1974.

In 2020 Evonik opened a 30,000 square foot expansion of its facility on Lakeshore Parkway, primarily to support growing demand for its "Resomer" line of parenteral drug delivery systems and bioresorbable implants. Late that same year Evonik acquired the LACTEL absorbable polymer line, made in Birmingham by Durect.

References

• "Southern Research Institute Spins Out New For-Profit Drug Delivery Company, Brookwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc." (January 19, 2005) Southern Research Institute Press Release
• Wright, Barnett (April 15, 2008) "Insider: Incentives OK'd for pharmaceutical firm." The Birmingham News
• West, Ty (March 27, 2009) "Changing of the guard: Biotech firm steps up to take former Saks Inc. HQ." Birmingham Business Journal
• Thibodeaux, Anna (May 18, 2012) "Q&A". Interview with Art Tipton. Birmingham Business Journal
• Patchen, Tyler (March 27, 2018) "Evonik expands Birmingham plant, boosts research capabilities." Birmingham Business Journal
• Underwood, Jerry (July 13, 2018) "EDPA Honors Tipton with Lifetime Achievement in Innovation Award." Southern Research
• Thornton, William (May 13, 2020) "Evonik opens expanded Birmingham biomedical facility." The Birmingham News
• "Evonik buys Bham-based product line for $15M." (December 8, 2020) Birmingham Business Journal