Combined with its new packaging plant in Columbus, Ohio (announced in June), Amgen is putting $1bn into additional manufacturing capacity to support predicted demand for its medicines in the coming years.
Mixing traditional & next-gen technologies for optimum effect
The new $550m plant in Holly Springs, North Carolina, will be located near the Raleigh-Durham area’s Research Triangle Park: anchored by the major research universities of North Carolina State University, Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The new plant will support both traditional stainless steel-fed batch manufacturing and next-generation single-use technologies, allowing flexibility for multiple pipeline products in one plant. This combination of capabilities is an approach that Amgen calls ‘FleXBatch’ manufacturing, which it says will make the facility more flexible and efficient, as well as requiring a smaller physical footprint than a traditional plant.
Construction is expected to begin in December this year, with the facility set to be completed in late 2024. The plant will bring up to 355 full-time jobs to the region by 2029, including engineers, technicians, quality, management and administrative roles.
California-headquartered Amgen focuses on six therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, oncology, bone health, neuroscience, nephrology and inflammation.
A substantial portion of Amgen’s total supply of medicines is produced in the US: including sites in California, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Its largest manufacturing facility globally is located in Puerto Rico, which employs 2,400 staff across 22 buildings. The company also has sites in Ireland and the Netherlands; while it also opened a facility in Singapore in 2014.