NH Life Sciences Spotlights Important Research and Development Happening in State
A pair of Salem industrial buildings, boxy and beige, would hardly draw a second glance from passers-by. Inside, however, is an impressive 60,000 square feet of gleaming labs with state-of-the-art equipment that's helping to usher life-changing medicines to the market.
BA Sciences is the only analytical laboratory in New Hampshire certified by the DEA and FDA to provide testing services to pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The lab works to ensure that clients’ drugs, packaging and delivery methods are safe – even across different storage temperatures and climates. This work is critical for new medicines to advance to FDA approval but is largely unseen by consumers.
NH Life Sciences (NHLS) recently met with U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander at BA Sciences to highlight how life science businesses are a critical contributor to New Hampshire’s economy and quality of life.
While New Hampshire is home to more than 600 life science businesses, many with national and global reach, few people are familiar with how expansive and important the industry is here. During their tour of BA Sciences, Andrea Hechavarria, CEO of NHLS, shared with Goodlander a 2023 report from the state’s Department of Business and Economic Affairs, explaining that life sciences are a $2.8 billion sector in the state. The study also found that the life sciences industry saw $4.3 billion in sales in 2021 and represents more than 11,000 jobs, with average salaries of $130,848 per year, the most of any other NH industry.
Goodlander inquired how she and Congress could support the life sciences industry, which is one of four priority growth sectors in the Granite State.
Hechavarria and the hosts at BA Sciences explained that R&D funding and a strong state education system are important to fuel the continued growth of businesses in this section.
While BA Sciences is privately held and not presently impacted by the recent freeze of National Institute of Health (NIH) grants, their clients who create new pharmaceuticals are sometimes
Investments in science training and education are also critical for finding people to fill the demand in life science careers. Most of the successful life science hubs have a strong network of academic partners. Ultimately the vision is to keep New Hampshire people going to school and working in New Hampshire.
James E. Mich, president of BA Sciences, said that about 60% of his 300 employees were graduates of the University of New Hampshire (UNH), and some hail from other Granite State colleges, such as Keene State and Colby-Sawyer.
UNH and the Community College System of New Hampshire are presently members of NHLS. Additionally, some member businesses have their own relationships with academic institutions local to them.
Chief Scientific Officer Jeff Heiser is among those who started his academic career at UNH Manchester before transferring to the Durham location to finish a degree in microbiology research.
Heiser led the tour of the facility, showing off the spaces where advanced technology studies the safety of medicines during the FDA approval process. One room tests the products at different temperatures and humidity, replicating various storage conditions. Another makes sure that a drug isn’t interacting with a container, which could lead to plastic leaching into the product.
They make sure any impurities in the products are at safe levels, and at the molecular level they drug is the volume that it’s supposed to be.
BA Sciences also does environmental testing to verify that "clean rooms" in labs are, in fact, clean and meeting standards.
"We're very grateful for the proactive outreach from Congresswoman Goodlander and we look forward to working with her and being a resource for her in the future," said Hechavarria.