Turbare CEO and founder Laura Martin values excellence in both people and products—evident in her guiding principle, “Only the best will do.” Martin, the only female CEO of an FDA-registered 503B specialty outsourcing facility in the United States, founded Turbare (Latin for “to disrupt”) with a vision of producing high-quality sterile medications and helping mitigate critical shortages.
For Martin, the mission is personal: In 2016, her grandfather was unable to access critical, lifesaving medicine due to a drug shortage. In situations such as this, Turbare is equipped to produce a wide range of sterile compounded products, including medications and preparations traditionally at risk of shortage. By blending regulatory compliance with pristine processing, the company aims to exceed standards for safety, efficacy, and reliability.
Supporting Ophthalmology Care
Compounding facilities play a special role in eyecare. While several anti-VEGF therapies are available in single-use syringes, other medications used off-label to treat exudative diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy are not formally approved for ophthalmic use and therefore are not manufactured at the appropriate dose or concentration for intravitreal injection.
One such example is bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech), which is approved to treat colorectal cancer but has been shown to be effective at treating wet AMD. Ophthalmologists can order bevacizumab from Turbare in prefilled syringes packaged for direct intravitreal injection and trust the product they are getting is held to the highest standards and subject to rigorous testing.
“Bevacizumab is a protein-based biologic that is sensitive to light and movement,” notes Martin. “Our 100% silicone-free process limits both to reduce particulate formation.”
Addressing Critical Shortages
Beyond ophthalmology, Turbare’s broader mission is to help fill critical gaps where shortages could jeopardize patient care. These shortages—especially for essential injectable medications—can have serious impacts on hospitals, surgical centers, clinics, and physician offices. Turbare is able to ramp up production quickly and deliver products from inventory, reducing lead times and enhancing supply reliability for healthcare providers nationwide.
“We regularly review the FDA’s list of drug shortages and see where we can step in to fill a need,” says Martin. “We also do a lot of market research to see how our energy can be best spent.” This ultimately led Turbare to expand its offerings to include antibiotic kits consisting of ceftazidime and vancomycin, further addressing critical unmet needs.
Raising the Bar
Turbare’s Conway, Arkansas, plant is designed with advanced cleanroom spaces and stringent controls for temperature, humidity, and sterility, ensuring compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and FDA requirements. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility currently spans more than 44,000 square feet, and Martin has plans for the future. “We’re not going anywhere,” she says, “and we’re prepared to grow.”
This commitment to quality extends well past the point of production: Turbare works closely with healthcare partners to tailor solutions that meet specific outsourcing needs while providing attentive support throughout the ordering process. “Our team really cares,” says Martin. “Customers are not just order numbers to us—we know their patients are relying on them, and they can rely on us.”
As it continues to scale, Turbare aims to set new quality benchmarks within the 503B compounding industry and strengthen the resilience of the U.S. medication supply chain. With a focus on innovation, quality, and customer care, the company seeks not only to meet today’s market needs but also to anticipate and address tomorrow’s healthcare challenges.
For more info, visit turbare.org or contact Turbare at Info@Turbare.org and (501) 497-8499