Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson reveals $2 billion update on Fujifilm factory in Holly Springs
In 2023, Fujifilm Diosynth secured its first tenant for its ambitious pharmaceutical manufacturing project in Holly Springs. Johnson & Johnson had entered a “long-term commitment” to make medicines at the future Wake County facility, Fujifilm said, but neither company at the time disclosed more about their deal.
Two years later, Johnson & Johnson has revealed the details as the New Jersey-based pharma giant Thursday announced it will invest $2 billion and occupy more than 160,000 square feet at the soon-to-open Fujifilm site. Johnson & Johnson said it expects to create around 120 jobs in the state over the next decade through this investment, which is part of the company’s broader plan to spend $55 billion domestically.
Fujifilm Diosynth is a contract pharmaceutical manufacturer, meaning it doesn’t create drugs itself but mass produces other drugmakers’ products. It has had a campus in Research Triangle Park since the 1990s, and in March 2021 committed to invest $2 billion and bring 725 jobs to a new manufacturing site in Holly Springs, a Wake County town of 46,000 southwest of Raleigh.
This was the Triangle’s largest life science project, and Fujifilm Diosynth increased its site investment the following year by another $1.2 billion. A Japanese photography-turned-pharmaceutical company, Fujifilm is scheduled to open its Holly Springs facility in late September and has previously said it will produce Johnson & Johnson medications locally this year.
Johnson & Johnson was the first of three drugmakers to enter agreements at the Fujifilm site, with Regeneron and TG Therapeutics following. A pharmaceutical heavyweight, Johnson & Johnson is the world’s 21st-biggest public company, with a market capitalization above $430 billion. On top of its Fujifilm site investment, Johnson & Johnson is building a drug substance factory in the city of Wilson where the company promises to hire at least 420 people.
“Johnson & Johnson has more manufacturing facilities in the U.S. than in any other country,” company CEO Joaquin Duato said in a statement Thursday. “And we continue to strengthen our presence here. With the recent signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we continue to expand our investment in the U.S. to lead the next era of healthcare innovation.”
