J&J earmarks $2bn for facility in North Carolina

Johnson & Johnson has filled in some of the details of its $55 billion investment in US facilities announced earlier this year, saying it will include a $2 billion facility in North Carolina.

The company said it plans to build a 160,000-plus sq. ft. plant at contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Fujifilm Biotechnologies' new site in Holly Springs, NC, as part of a drive to manufacture "the vast majority of advanced medicines in the US to meet the needs of patients in the US."

The Fujifilm site is dedicated to large-scale cell culture manufacturing of bulk drug substance production for biopharmaceuticals and has been set up with an investment of more than $3.2 billion.

In April, the CDMO (formerly known as Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies) signed a 10-year, $3 billion deal with Regeneron to produce biologics at the site, which is due to come online later this year.

In a statement, J&J said its $2 billion commitment, due to be delivered over 10 years, will "expand the company's US manufacturing capacity and create approximately 120 new jobs in North Carolina."

In March, J&J joined a series of other big pharma groups in announcing a major investment programme, including four new US manufacturing facilities, in what has been viewed as a response to threats by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on the pharma industry if they don't relocate their manufacturing operations to the US.

Today, J&J said it will share the plans for additional advanced manufacturing facilities in the US as well as the expansion of current American sites in the coming months.

In the meantime, it has given an update on progress with the construction of a facility in Wilson, NC, which will employ more than 500 people when fully operational and create approximately 5,000 construction jobs during the site development.

"Johnson & Johnson has more manufacturing facilities in the US than in any other country, and we continue to strengthen our presence here," commented Joaquin Duato, the group's chairman and chief executive.

"With the recent signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we continue to expand our investment in the US to lead the next era of healthcare innovation," he added.

The wide-ranging Act, which was signed into law by President Trump in July, has been welcomed by pharma – at least in part – for measures that extend existing tax breaks such as R&D credits and incentives for reshoring and onshoring manufacturing to the US.