Florida company building facility in DeSoto County

OLIVE BRANCH — Officials from Anda Distribution, a leading distributor of generic pharmaceuticals within the U.S., is locating warehousing and distribution operations in Olive Branch.

The company is constructing a new 234,000-square-foot facility in the Crossroads Distribution Center that is projected to be operational by the second quarter of 2012.

The project represents an approximately $23-million investment by the company and will create approximately 70 new jobs.

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) worked with company and local officials to provide assistance for the project through the Momentum Mississippi Incentives program, as well as assistance for workforce training. Additionally, the City of Olive Branch and DeSoto County provided assistance for public infrastructure improvements.

Headquartered in Weston, Fla., Anda, which is a division of Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., is the fourth largest U.S. distributor of generic pharmaceuticals. Anda primarily distributes generic, select brand pharmaceutical products, vaccines, injectables and over-the-counter medicines from more than 200 suppliers to more than 65,000 locations. These include 11,000 physician accounts, 17,000 independent pharmacies and over 35,000 chain locations.