Octapharma to build $1.5B US plasma manufacturing facility

The South Carolina site will manufacture plasma-derived therapies and create 1,500 jobs, while expanding the Swiss company’s U.S. production capacity.

Octapharma, a Lachen, Switzerland-based manufacturer of human protein, plans to invest $1.5 billion to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

According to the announcement, the 50-acre campus at Palmetto Research Park will manufacture plasma-derived therapies and bleeding management and trauma care products, helping establish domestic production while reducing reliance on overseas supply chains. The facility is expected to create approximately 1,500 full-time jobs, making it one of the largest private biomedical investments in South Carolina’s history.

The company said the site will support growing demand for its FDA-approved therapies while complementing its existing global manufacturing network. Octapharma also expects the facility to strengthen domestic biomedical manufacturing capacity for products used in emergency preparedness and national security applications.

Rock Hill was selected because of its advanced manufacturing infrastructure, transportation access, and life sciences workforce, according to the company. Octapharma said proximity to U.S. plasma donation centers and patients will help support its long-term manufacturing strategy.

“We expect significant future growth, driven by our existing life-saving therapies and a strong pipeline of new products,” Octapharma CEO Wolfgang Marguerre said in a statement. “Our manufacturing capacity must evolve to support this ambition, and our U.S. manufacturing facility will be an important milestone. From a U.S. national security perspective, having the ability to produce and supply our therapies domestically is invaluable.”

The announcement marks Octapharma’s first U.S. manufacturing investment following more than two decades of expanding its commercial operations and network of plasma donation centers in the U.S.

The announcement comes amid continued investment in U.S. plasma manufacturing capacity across the biopharmaceutical industry. In March, CSL broke ground on a $1.5 billion expansion of its plasma-derived therapy manufacturing facility in Kankakee, Illinois, part of the company’s strategy to expand biologics production capacity in the U.S. The expansion, expected to be operational by 2031, builds on more than $3 billion the company has invested in its U.S. operations since 2018.

This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.
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