Anika Therapeutics, a global medical technology company in Bedford, held a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 23, to celebrate their 25th anniversary as well as their newly expanded and consolidated global manufacturing facility. After opening words by Charles Sherwood, Ph.D., President and CEO of Anika, attendees also heard from Ken Gordon, State Representative; Dr. Kumble Subbaswamy, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Robert Coughlin, President and CEO of the Mass Biotech Council; and Travis McCready, President and CEO of Mass Life Sciences Center which announced a $225,000 grant to Anika.
Located on Wiggins Avenue in Bedford, Anika Therapeutics manufactures over 20 innovative medical treatments, based on its proprietary formulation of Hyaluronic Acid (HA), a naturally-occurring substance found in tissues and cells. Anika uses patented exclusive manufacturing processes to produce the gel and solid forms of HA that are used to develop treatments ranging from an injectable gel that alleviates joint pain associated with osteoarthritis, to a gauze-like HA textile that acts as a scaffold for regenerating cartilage and healing burns.
Anika moved their corporate headquarters from Woburn to Bedford in 2007, and over the last year, also brought to Bedford highly specialized manufacturing operations previously located in Italy. The Bedford operations currently employ approximately 120 people working in an attractive 134,000 square-foot facility. In addition to manufacturing, there is executive, administrative and commercial staff, quality control and quality assurance operations, as well as R&D. A promising pipeline of new orthopedics medicine treatments currently in development may result in significant future growth for the company. The company’s goal is to be the world leader in therapies for tissue regeneration and repair.
Anika employees recently participated in the Rotary Meals for Kids meal packaging event at Middlesex Community College, and Anika was a corporate sponsor for the event. The company also has a research collaboration with UMass Amherst to develop a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, sponsors internships, and is a corporate sponsor of the iCons program at the University. iCons stands for Integrated Concentration in Science, and the mission of the program is to produce future leaders in science and technology. Anika Therapeutics has been ranked among the 100 best Massachusetts businesses by the Boston Globe in eight of the last nine years.
