AstraZeneca to Invest $2 Billion in US Biologics Facility
Fourth major US manufacturing investment announced this year, advancing AstraZeneca’s historic $50 billion commitment to medicines manufacturing and R&D. New capacity at AstraZeneca’s Frederick and Gaithersburg facilities will accelerate production of cancer, rare, and chronic disease medicines
AstraZeneca recently announced plans to invest $2 billion to expand its long-standing manufacturing footprint in Maryland. This includes a significant expansion of its flagship biologics manufacturing facility in Frederick and construction of a new state-of-the-art facility in Gaithersburg for the development and clinical supply of innovative molecules to be used in clinical trials. The investment will support 2,600 jobs across the two sites in the state, including the retention of local roles, construction activity, and the creation of 300 highly skilled jobs.
The Frederick facility currently produces biologics, a type of medication used across AstraZeneca’s portfolio of cancer, autoimmune, respiratory, and rare disease treatments. The planned expansion will nearly double commercial manufacturing capacity, enabling increased supply of existing medicines and, for the first time, production across the Company’s rare disease portfolio. In parallel, AstraZeneca will build a new clinical manufacturing facility to expand its footprint in Gaithersburg.
Both the expanded facility in Frederick and the new facility in Gaithersburg will leverage cutting-edge AI, automation, and data analytics, and be built to the highest environmental standards.
Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said: “Today marks a landmark moment for Maryland and American patients. As the state’s largest biopharmaceutical employer, we are deepening our long-standing commitment to Maryland – supporting 2,600 jobs, catalyzing economic growth, and bringing our extensive rare disease portfolio onshore for the first time. This investment strengthens the resilience of the US medicines supply chain and accelerates access to transformative therapies for patients across America and around the world.”
The announcement is part of AstraZeneca’s $50 billion investment announced in July. It follows a series of US commitments over the past six months, including unveiling a new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland, a new drug substance manufacturing facility in Virginia, and the expansion of the Company’s existing manufacturing facility in Coppell, Texas. The US is AstraZeneca’s largest market by sales and is also home to 19 R&D, manufacturing, and commercial sites.
