NORTH AUGUSTA—AmbioPharm’s $119 million expansion of its North Augusta facility moved forward Oct. 21 when the city’s planning commission approved the site plans for a new modular manufacturing building that, once completed, will support demand for diabetes and weight-loss peptide therapeutics.

The manufacturer, purchased by CordenPharma earlier this year, announced in June its plans to expand the North Augusta facility. The expansion is expected to bring around 200 jobs to the area once operations come online end of next year.

“As the global demand for peptide therapeutics accelerates, the need for dependable U.S. manufacturing is extremely important,” AmbioPharm CEO Brian Gregg had said at the time the expansion was announced. “This expansion enhances our ability to support our client-partners with scalable, high-quality production while creating new opportunities for skilled talent in Aiken County.”

AmbioPharm has been at North Augusta’s industrial park, off Dittman Road, for 20 years. In that time, its facility has undergone four other expansions.

Peptides are short chains of amino acids. The body produces them naturally — insulin, endorphins and growth hormones are all peptides — but they can also be manufactured for use in medicine and the treatment of different medical conditions, including diabetes, endocrine disorders and obesity.