Louisiana Sen. Cassidy tours Dr. Reddy’s former lab for future economic development

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, a global pharmaceutical company, recently closed in early 2025 due to business and financial decisions.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), toured the facility with North Louisiana Economic Partnership and Louisiana Economic Development to learn about its potential.

“You have several major pharmaceutical companies [that] have made it publicly known that they’re looking to expand their manufacturing in the U.S. And this having recently been- been a functioning manufacturing facility for pharmaceuticals, they intent is to let them know hey, this is ready, we have trained individuals here that have worked in that space, and they can come in and get up and running very quickly,” said Justyn Dixon, president and CEO of North Louisiana Economic Partnership.

Senator Cassidy was able to see the facility’s layout, footprint, and capabilities while learning from former employees and directors at the laboratory.

The senator says he is all about economic development for North Louisiana and wants to build on assets. He says the facility is laid out for an industry to hopefully step in and pick back up what the former company did not.

“President Trump is putting tariffs on those countries that are currently making these drugs which is going to increase the cost of production if you will over there, so it might be the opportunity to have a lower cost in production here,” said U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D.

Will Parker, the former associate director of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in Shreveport, says the facility is strategically located next to rail and highway transit. It is at the corner of 31-32 and I-49.

“We are equipped with two labs, an analytical lab and a microbiological lab. We have two warehouses, a little over 3,000 rack spaces. The site is right around 300,000 square feet, situated on 50+ acres,” said Parker.

Parker says the vast majority of equipment in the facility is serviceable and in good working order. They just need to be requalified and revalidated.

“We have a number of various equipment to manufacture different types of pharmaceutical products. So we can do anything from OSD or your oral solid dosage forms, topicals, liquids. We can even package. We can package various forms of products, be it bottles, jars, blister packing, whatever the case may be,” said Parker.

Senator Cassidy says he wants economic development for Shreveport-Bossier.

“Once you have 500 people or 300 people employed here, they’re buying groceries, they’re buying insurance, they’re buying homes, and so it just spins through the economy, and it elevates a lot of things. So, my goal is how do we realize the potential of this facility for the benefit of Northwest Louisiana,” said Senator Cassidy.