Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has broken ground on a new 700,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, the company’s first manufacturing site on the U.S. East Coast. The plant is designed to support production of future metabolic medicines, including next-generation obesity treatments.
Genentech said it will invest more than $700 million in the project, which is expected to create more than 400 manufacturing jobs when operational and over 1,500 construction jobs during buildout. The facility is slated to be completed and operational by 2029, according to the company.
Pharma Manufacturing first reported the project on May 12, when Genentech outlined plans for the Holly Springs site and noted that the initial investment could expand based on business needs and the U.S. policy environment.
According to the company, the plant will incorporate modern biomanufacturing technologies, advanced automation and digital capabilities, and is located on a 100-acre parcel with room for future expansion. Company officials said federal, state and local leaders attended the groundbreaking.
Roche, Genentech’s parent company, announced in April that it plans to invest $50 billion in its U.S. pharmaceutical and diagnostics operations over the next five years, including a new gene therapy manufacturing site in Pennsylvania and a continuous glucose monitoring facility in Indiana.
Roche and Genentech’s current U.S. footprint reportedly includes 13 manufacturing and 15 R&D sites, employing about 25,000 people across 24 sites in eight states.