Amgen forks out $550m to build drug substance facility in NC

The facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina will support stainless steel-fed batch manufacturing and single-use technologies making the plant more flexible, the firm says.

The $550 million investment comes one week after Amgen announced plans to construct a $365 million plant in New Albany, Ohio to support drug packaging.

“We are building the facility to support the growing demand for Amgen medicines in the US market,” an Amgen spokesperson told BioProcess Insider. “This new ‘FleXBatch’ drug substance plant will increase Amgen’s manufacturing network capacity, enabling Amgen to reliably supply more medicines for patients.”

Image: iStock/klenger

‘FleXBatch’ manufacturing refers to the combination of single-use technologies and stainless steel-fed batch production capabilities taking place in one plant.

Construction of the facility is anticipated to begin in December 2021, with the plant expected to be completed in 2024.

“Hiring of construction contractors will begin in Q3 2021 [and] hiring of full-time [staff] will ramp up over time, with some being hired this year and more being hired as we near construction completion in 2024 and the anticipated start of manufacturing operations in 2025,” the spokesperson told us.

355 jobs

The plant will create up to 355 full-time jobs in the region by 2029. This includes technicians, management, engineers, and administrative roles.

“Diversity, inclusion and belonging is an important part of Amgen’s culture,” said the spokesperson.

They continued: “We believe that in order to hire the best talent, it is important to cast a wide net and consider candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. One of the reasons we chose this location is because of the diversity of the talent pool in the greater Wake County region.”

The Amgen plant is the second major facility to be located in Holly Springs this year. Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies invested $1.8 billion in March in the same location for its biologics plant.

“The state of North Carolina, along with Wake County and the town of Holly Springs presented a competitive package which influenced Amgen’s decision to invest there. We feel that such incentives are a positive way to help companies invest and bring opportunities into new communities,” the spokesperson said.