A pharmaceutical technology company broke ground on an $82 million, 200,000-square-foot research, development, and manufacturing facility Thursday in Cummings Research Park.

The company - Glaukos Corporation – plans to initially employ more than 150 at the site, CEO Tom Burns told AL.com.

“We have the ability to expand and go even bigger from an agreement with the city ,” he said. “There is the potential in the future this could grow to a 400,000-square-foot facility.”

Burns said the company’s investment in the facility could reach $100 million.

The facility will be built on 25 acres at the corner of Mark Smith Drive and Explorer Boulevard, at the north end of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The agreement with the city includes an option for 15 additional acres for futur

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