When it came to deciding where to build a new manufacturing facility for its ambitious metabolic drug program, Roche undertook a thorough search that included 12 high-tech clusters in the U.S. and \u201cmultiple properties in each,\u201d according to the Swiss company\u2019s High Volume Portfolio Lead Paul Bezy.<\/p>\n
After all that, Roche settled on a familiar pharma manufacturing location: Holly Springs, North Carolina. In setting up shop there, the drugmaker will be joining a growing legion of pharma companies\u2014including Amgen<\/a>,\u00a0CSL Seqirus<\/a>,\u00a0Fujifilm<\/a>,\u00a0Johnson & Johnson<\/a> and\u00a0Regeneron<\/a>\u2014that are establishing a presence in the suburban town southwest of Raleigh.<\/p>\n \u201cThey run the government like it\u2019s a business, from an efficiency and a speed standpoint,\u201d Bezy said in an interview this week. \u201cThey understand what pharma companies need, and they seem to be specifically targeting this industry to create the right ecosystem, the right support system, for what it takes to bring a high-tech pharmaceutical facility online.\u201d<\/p>\n Monday, Roche\u2019s U.S. subsidiary Genentech broke ground on the $700 million plant, which is tabbed for operation in 2029. It is part of Roche\u2019s plan to invest $50 billion in the U.S. over the next five years to support its manufacturing and R&D operations.<\/p>\n The company\u00a0unveiled<\/a> its move to North Carolina in May. It will become the first production facility in the eastern U.S. for South San Francisco-based Genentech. It will create more than 400 manufacturing jobs, with another 1,500 workers participating in the construction of the complex. Sitting on a 100-acre property, Genentech will be able to expand the facility if needed.<\/p>\n Roche began considering the possibility of building a new manufacturing site after it\u00a0acquired<\/a> Carmot Therapeutics and its portfolio of obesity candidates for $2.7 million in December 2023. The Holly Springs facility will perform fill-finish duties for injected drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a latecomer into this therapeutic area. It\u2019s not a mystery,\u201d Bezy said. \u201cWe\u2019re coming in as a strong challenger. We\u2019re in it to win it.\u201d<\/p>\n The groundbreaking comes as several pharma giants rush to increase their ability to manufacture products in the U.S. in response to President Donald Trump\u2019s effort to impose import tariffs on foreign-made medicines.<\/p>\n Last week, the industry gained more clarity with the\u00a0confirmation<\/a>\u00a0of a 15% tariff on EU-made innovative drugs. Among the pharma giants that have revealed massive investment plans in the U.S. are\u00a0AstraZeneca<\/a>,\u00a0Eli Lilly<\/a>,\u00a0Sanofi<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Novartis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Roche\u2019s other U.S. projects include a $550 million facility under\u00a0construction<\/a> on its diagnostics campus in Indianapolis that will produce glucose monitoring devices.<\/p>\n