Amgen announces $1bn manufacturing expansion in Holly Springs

Biotechnology company Amgen is building a $1 billion drug substance manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, expanding its presence in the region with its second such facility. In tandem with its other investments, Amgen’s presence will add about 370 jobs to Wake County, providing full-time roles for technicians, engineers, management, and administration.

Holly Springs is part of the research triangle region which houses many of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.  

"This expansion underscores our unwavering focus on bringing transformative medicines to patients around the world," said Robert Bradway, chairman and CEO of Amgen. "North Carolina will be an important part of our global manufacturing network as we continue to meet the growing demand for our innovative therapies while generating significant local economic impact."

In 2022, Amgen broke ground on its first drug substance manufacturing facility in the region, which cost $550 million and is expected to open in 2025. That facility is designed to support both stainless steel fed-batch manufacturing and single-use technologies, enabling the company to support multiple pipelines.

The expansion announcement was received positively by Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Commerce, which released information on how the jobs will affect the local economy. The department said that the new positions will have an average annual salary of more than $91,000 and bring more than $33 million of annual payroll growth to the region.

"North Carolina's reputation as one of the world's leading centers for biotechnology soars even higher with today's decision by Amgen," said Cooper. "North Carolina offers everything an innovative biotech company needs to succeed, especially our highly trained, dedicated and diverse workforce which is fine-tuned to the needs of this critical industry."

Machelle Baker Sanders, North Carolina commerce secretary said, “The key to our success has been our continued focus on building the skilled and diverse workforce that companies like Amgen depend on every day.”