California publicly traded pharmaceutical company to move headquarters to Nashville

Harrow Health, a publicly traded pharmaceutical company based in San Diego, is moving its headquarters to Nashville, bringing its executive team and creating nearly 30 jobs. 

Harrow Health owns ophthalmology pharmaceutical business, ImprimisRx, and owns stakes in Eton Pharmaceuticals, Surface Pharmaceuticals, Melt Pharmaceuticals, Mayfield Pharmaceuticals and Radley Pharmaceuticals. The company plans to invest more than $500,000 as it moves into an existing, undisclosed building in Davidson County.

Harrow Health founder and CEO Mark Baum said the company will start, finance and grow pharmaceutical companies developing affordable medicines from Nashville. He praised the city and state's business climate, the low tax rate and Nashville's ability to recruit talent.

"Nashville is probably the most exciting, young, vibrant cities in the United States," Baum said. "You have a lot of very smart people, great universities. It's a pretty funky place and it's a desirable place to recruit  people to come."

Baum said he asked seven top Harrow executives living in Southern California if they would be interested in moving to Nashville and they each are making the move.

"We are batting 1,000 percent, which is pretty hard to do," he said. 

Harrow Health includes 140 people located in Southern California and New Jersey.  Harrow investor relations associate Jon Patton said the company plans to hire locally and move employees to Nashville as it creates new pharmaceutical companies under the Harrow parent company. The business is looking for a 5,000 square foot location, he said.

Baum said the jobs in Nashville will include chief medical officer, physicians, scientists, project managers, as well as financial and legal positions, and salaries will be six figures. He wants to see more lab space in Nashville to be able to pull talent from other cities leading the sector, such as Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. 

"We want to build out a lot. The pharmaceutical industry in Nashville is burgeoning," Baum said. "We want to be part of that growth."

Harrow, formerly called ImprimisRx, was formed out of bankruptcy in 2011 and began focusing on ophthalmology in 2013. 

Baum, who has already moved to Nashville, said his neighbors have warmly welcomed his family and they are enjoying their new home.

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.