“Amgen is investing in a technologically-advanced drug substance plant in North Carolina to support the expected increase in demand for our medicines. Together with the previously announced advanced packaging plant in Ohio, we have committed to investing nearly $1 billion in new manufacturing capacity in the United States,” executive vice president of operations Esteban Santos.

The Holly Springs facility will be located near the Raleigh-Durham area’s Research Triangle Park, anchored by the major research universities of North Carolina State University, Duke University and University of North Carolina.

Amgen said the new plant will support both traditional stainless steel-fed batch manufacturing and next-generation single-use technologies, allowing flexibility for multiple pipeline products in one plant. This flexibility, which Amgen terms FleXBatch, means manufacturing is also more efficient and requires a smaller physical footprint than a traditional plant. The facility is also expected to have a 50% lower carbon footprint and half the water consumption of a traditional drug substance manufacturing plant.

The project will be partially facilitated by a grant approved by North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee. Amgen could receive more than $11 million in reimbursements spread over 12 years. Economists at the Department of Commerce estimate that the project will grow the state’s economy by $2.5 billion.

In June, Amgen said it would invest $365 million at its Columbus site in Ohio to build a new greenfield plant to assemble and package vials and syringes to support growing demand for its medicines. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2021 with the site operational by 2024.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist