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 AstraZeneca chooses Virginia for its largest-ever R&D and manufacturing investment

By Jeff Clabaugh

U.K.-based drug giant AstraZeneca will make what it calls its single-largest manufacturing investment in the world with a new facility in Virginia.

The company has not identified the site in Virginia where it plans to build the facility, but said it will be a multi-billion-dollar project. The facility will produce drugs for its weight management and metabolic portfolio of existing and developing treatments.

AstraZeneca said the Virginia facility will leverage artificial intelligence, automation and data analytics to optimize production.

The Virginia announcement is part of a larger $50 billion commitment to expanding manufacturing and research and development in the U.S. by 2030, including expansions of its existing facilities in Rockville and Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Last year, the pharma giant announced plans to invest $300 million in a new manufacturing facility in Rockville.

This latest U.S. investment announcement also includes expansions in Massachusetts, California, Indiana and Texas.

AstraZeneca said the U.S. expansion will help it reach a goal of generating 50% of its annual revenue in the U.S. within the next five years.

The company currently has 19 R&D and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., and about 18,000 U.S. employees.

AstraZeneca’s U.S. expansion comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s administration is ramping up pressure for big pharmaceutical companies to commit to U.S. manufacturing and research, or face potentially hefty tariffs. Other drug companies that have announced U.S. expansions recently include Novartis, Sanofi, Roche, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson.

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