Promises Kept: How Biopharma Is Building in America

Anyone who has followed the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry closely since the start of last year is likely aware of the historic investment that companies have made to strengthen the nation's drug innovation infrastructure, including through next-generation manufacturing facilities that can deliver therapies to Americans faster and more safely.

We Work For Health has tracked more than $582 billion in announcements since January 2025.

While it will take time for the full scope of the latest announcements to materialize – planning, permits and construction are a multi-year effort – a scan of various projects announced in recent years shows an industry that’s answering the call to help America onshore drug manufacturing.

Critically, commitments have led to concrete.

At least a dozen facilities have newly opened or are under active construction. Many more are in the advanced planning stage.

The momentum is timely.

For decades, China has devoted unprecedented resources to dominating the future of biomedical breakthroughs. Its progress poses a national security threat, experts warn, as the gap between the countries is closing “far faster than anticipated.” Meanwhile, the U.S. is entertaining the expansion of government price controls like most favored nation (MFN), which would crush the conditions that invite domestic investment.

The projects below show what’s possible, what’s at risk, and why a policy environment that supports innovation is more critical than ever.

Breaking Ground on Billion Dollar Commitments

Last spring, Eli Lilly broke ground on a $4.5 billion Medicine Foundry in Lebanon, Ind. The campus will combine research and manufacturing, helping reduce clinical trial timelines. Under a $27 billion U.S. plan, Eli Lilly will open new facilities in Goochland County, Va., Houston, TX., Huntsville, Ala., and Fogelsville, Pa., while planning to expand a manufacturing site in Carolina, Puerto Rico.  

In October, AstraZeneca began constructing a $4.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Albemarle County, Va. The largest single manufacturing investment in AstraZeneca's history, the site will include facilities dedicated to drug production for chronic diseases and antibody-drug conjugates for cancer treatment, creating 600 permanent jobs and 3,000 construction positions.

The company, which made a $50 billion U.S. commitment, plans to expand two Maryland facilities, boosting production of biologics and innovative molecules.

Tar “Heal” State

North Carolina has emerged as one of the most active biopharma construction corridors in the country. That includes two major groundbreakings in the span of a few months.

Last spring, Johnson & Johnson broke ground on a biologics manufacturing facility in Wilson. The site will expand the capacity to manufacture medicines for cancer, immune-mediated and neurological diseases. Later in 2025, Novartis began construction on its flagship manufacturing hub in the state, encompassing new facilities in Durham for biologics and sterile packaging and a new Morrisville site for solid dosage tablets and capsules.

Holly Springs, a town of fewer than 50,000 people, exemplifies what domestic biopharma investment looks like at scale. Amgen held a ribbon cutting for a $1.5 billion facility there in January 2025. Four months later, Roche/Genentech broke ground on a $700 million manufacturing plant at the same campus. This January, Roche updated its investment plans for that facility, increasing the total investment to $2 billion.

These companies are also expanding their presence across the United States:

• On Feb. 6, Novartis broke ground on a new global biomedical research center in San Diego, Calif., focused on drug discovery in neuroscience, oncology and regenerative medicine. The site is part of the company’s $23 billion U.S. pledge.

• Twelve days later, Johnson & Johnson announced a $1 billion facility is coming to Montgomery, Pa., to manufacture next-generation cell therapies. That is part of a $55 billion U.S. commitment.

• Amgen plans a $900 million expansion of the Ohio manufacturing facility it opened in 2024 and broke ground last October on a center for science and innovation at its global headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

• Under a $50 billion plan, Roche is expanding its Indianapolis campus into a major hub for manufacturing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for diabetes management and adding a diagnostics production facility.

Doubling Down at Headquarters

Sanofi opened a new flagship U.S. office in Morristown, N.J., last spring, bringing together nearly 2,000 employees in a space designed to foster scientific collaboration and innovation. The campus, which relocates the company's U.S. headquarters from nearby Bridgewater, consolidates Sanofi's domestic operations and signals a long-term commitment to America's life sciences ecosystem.

In September, AbbVie broke ground on a new active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing plant in North Chicago, Ill. – its hometown and headquarters. The site will enhance the company’s chemical synthesis capabilities and support domestic production of current and next-generation medicines in neuroscience, immunology and oncology.

The developments highlighted here are not exhaustive. But they are evidence that when U.S. policymakers support innovation, the industry responds with capital, construction and jobs that help anchor communities for generations.

Actions, not just words, define this moment.