Starting Up, Saving Lives

Biotech Startup pharmaCline Excels

Steven Keough

pharmaCline is a South Dakota start-up company that is in the business of saving lives, healing wounds and preventing the spread of diseases. pharmaCline’s innovative, site-specific, drug delivery system enables new delivery methods of FDA-approved drugs to help doctors and pharmacists to effectively treat patients.

In fact, the technology is so effective it can be used to kill the top 12 pathogens in the United States.

For pharmaCline’s founder and CEO, Steven Keough, locating and headquartering his small biotech start-up in South Dakota was the right decision.

“South Dakota achieved rankings in my scale – in my needs, for my small company – that were at the top across the board,”
said Keough.

And in just a few short months, pharmaCline has had noted success. The company’s first product rollout is scheduled for the third quarter of 2011, and it has eight of its nine planned products listed with the FDA. Additionally,
pharmaCline plans on hiring about 40 people – most of whom will come from the Sioux Falls region.

“After narrowing down the number of states that were even contenders for starting a pharmaceutical company, it was
liability issues and other less-thantop- tier issues that became really important – an integrated chamber
of commerce; a business climate statewide; a short legislative session; infrastructure support; high-quality internet; quality air service; excellent roads; qualified people – these are all reasons that led us to South Dakota, and we are glad we are here,” Keough concluded.