Amgen’s $900M Ohio Plant Expansion to Create 750 New Jobs

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Amgen has announced a significant $900 million investment to expand its biotechnology manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio. This move comes as pharmaceutical companies seek to strengthen domestic production in response to evolving regulatory and geopolitical pressures.

The Ohio expansion project will add substantial capacity to Amgen’s existing New Albany plant, bringing the company’s total investment in the region to more than $1.4 billion. The expansion is expected to create approximately 750 new jobs across production, quality assurance, and technical support roles, further cementing central Ohio’s emergence as a biotechnology hub.

Amgen’s move signals a strong commitment to U.S. manufacturing at a time when drugmakers contend with global supply chain complexities. The expanded facility will house advanced assembly and packaging capabilities, critical to supporting a wider portfolio of biologic medicines intended for U.S. and global distribution.

Industry context

Amgen’s initiative aligns with a broader wave of investment among major pharmaceutical companies aiming to fortify domestic manufacturing capabilities. Firms such as Eli Lilly, Roche, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson are similarly scaling operations within the United States, driven partly by regulatory incentives and concerns over tariffs on imported medicines.

Tariff policies introduced over recent years were designed to encourage more localized production. However, industry leaders caution that the financial and regulatory hurdles for building biotech manufacturing infrastructure are significant. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has warned that additional tariffs could contribute to higher drug prices for American consumers.

Experts estimate that building compliant production lines can take between five and ten years and cost upwards of $2 billion, given the stringent requirements set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Amgen’s strategic investments

Amgen’s expansion in Ohio is part of a broader investment strategy aimed at reinforcing its U.S. operations. Since the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Amgen has committed approximately $5 billion to U.S. capital projects, contributing an estimated $12 billion to the national economy.

The company’s investment strategy has not been confined to Ohio. In 2023, Amgen allocated $1 billion toward a new drug manufacturing plant in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Additionally, the company maintains major facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, and Puerto Rico, along with operations overseas in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Singapore.

Amgen’s $900 million expansion in Ohio marks a pivotal step in the reshoring of U.S. biotechnology manufacturing. As regulatory pressures and supply chain concerns reshape the pharmaceutical landscape, investments like this are expected to define the next era of the industry’s growth.

Sources:

• Amgen
• The Columbus District