(Updated, Nov. 5)

WARWICK - Isis Biopolymer Inc., a manufacturer of patches that deliver drugs through the skin, has announced plans to move from Warwick to Providence early next year.

The nearly three-year-old firm said it will establish a facility at 233 Richmond St. – across the street from where Brown University is planning to build its new Warren Alpert Medical School building – that will house Isis Biopolymer’s research and development, manufacturing and administrative departments. The building is owned by Brown.

Shawna Gvazdauskas, Isis Biopolymer’s chief commercial officer, said the company expected to launch full-scale production there by January and finish the move the following month. The company also expects to add a “small number” of jobs as part of the move.

“Isis Biopolymer is very excited to be the first to move to Providence’s Knowledge District,” CEO and Chief Technology Officer Emma Durand said in a statement. “It is a great opportunity to be in close proximity to leading academic and research institutions, such as Brown University and Lifespan. In addition, the significant tax advantages are attractive and beneficial to Rhode Island-based early-stage companies such as Isis Biopolymer.”

Under an agreement reached between Isis Biopolymer and the city, the city will collect an amount equal to what 10 percent of the normal property tax bill would have been, said Providence City Planning Director Tom Deller. That amount will increase by 10 percentage points each year, until it hits 100 percent or Brown relinquishes ownership of the building, Deller said.

Isis Biopolymer has developed the IsisIQ Patch, a programmable, single-use patch that resembles a Band-Aid and delivers drug treatments. Providence Business News recently awarded the company its 2009 Innovation of the Year Award for Manufacturing.

An earlier version of this article implied that Brown University does not make any payments to the city for some of its buildings. The school is tax-exempt, but under a 2003 agreement it makes payments to the city for some buildings it owns that are not used for its institutional mission.

Additional information is available at isisbiopolymer.com.