AstraZeneca plans multibillion-dollar pharma factory in Virginia

Global pharmaceutical manufacturer and biotech company AstraZeneca plans to construct a multibillion dollar manufacturing center focused on chronic diseases in Virginia within the next five years, it announced Monday. The facility will be part of $50 billion in investments AztraZeneca expects to make in the United States by 2030 for manufacturing and research and development.

The cornerstone of that investment initiative will be the Virginia manufacturing facility, which will be AstraZeneca’s largest single manufacturing investment globally. It will produce pharmaceutical substances for AstraZeneca’s weight management and metabolic portfolio, including oral GLP-1, baxdrostat, oral PCSK9 and combination small molecule products.

The exact location and size of the Virginia facility is yet to be determined, the company said, but the plant, which will employ “hundreds” of workers, is expected to be operational by 2030. No other specifics have been released.

The facility will produce small molecules, peptides and oligonucleotides, leveraging artificial intelligence, automation and data analytics to optimize production.

“I want to thank AstraZeneca for choosing Virginia as the cornerstone for this transformational investment in the United States,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “This project will set the standard for the latest technological advancements in pharmaceutical manufacturing, creating hundreds of highly skilled jobs and helping further strengthen the nation’s domestic supply chain. Advanced manufacturing is at the heart of Virginia’s dynamic economy, so I am thrilled that AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, plans to make their largest global manufacturing investment here in the commonwealth.”

AstraZeneca’s planned $50 billion U.S. investment package also includes and expansion of its R&D facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland; a R&D center in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts; manufacturing facilities for cell therapy in Rockville, Maryland, and Tarzana, California; continuous manufacturing expansion in Mount Vernon, Indiana; specialty manufacturing expansion in Coppell, Texas; new sites to supply clinical trials; and a research and development investment in novel medicines.

The company believes these investments will help it reach its goal of reaching $80 billion in total revenue by 2030, of which 50% would be generated within the U.S.

“Today’s announcement underpins our belief in America’s innovation in biopharmaceuticals and our commitment to the millions of patients who need our medicines in America and globally,”  AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said in a statement.

Soriot says he looks forward to partnering with Youngkin on the Virginia site, which he said will strengthen the nation’s domestic supply chain for medicines.

Headquartered in Cambridge, England, AstraZeneca focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines in oncology, rare diseases and biopharmaceuticals, including cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, respiratory and immunology.

Its largest market is the U.S., with the country being home to 19 R&D, manufacturing and commercial sites. The company employs about 90,000 workers worldwide, including more than 18,000 in the United States. It reported 2024 revenue of $54.073 billion.