Roche plans $700m manufacturing plant in the US
Roche is deepening its manufacturing footprint in the US with plans to invest more than $700m in a new production facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, aimed at supporting its pipeline of next-generation obesity drugs.
The new site will manufacture biologics for Genentech, a member of the Roche group, and is expected to create over 400 manufacturing jobs once operational. In a company statement, Roche noted that the initial investment may increase in the future, “based on business needs and the US policy environment”.
This announcement follows Roche’s pledge last month to invest $50bn in the US over the next five years. That broader initiative aims to create more than 12,000 new jobs across the country, with a long-term goal of transforming the US into a net exporter of Roche-manufactured medicines.
The pharmaceutical has cited the need to build capacity for both existing therapies and a growing pipeline of biologics and precision medicines.
Roche’s move comes amid a wave of reshoring activity in the US across the pharmaceutical sector. In recent months, several multinational drugmakers have announced large-scale investments in US-based manufacturing and R&D infrastructure.
Novartis said last month that it would invest $23bn in the US over five years while Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) unveiled plans to spend $27bn and $55m, respectively, to boost domestic production.
