AstraZeneca plans $2 billion investment in Maryland

UK pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has announced plans to invest $2 billion to expand its long-standing manufacturing footprint in Maryland, USA.

The company noted that this includes a significant expansion of its flagship biologics manufacturing facility in Frederick and construction of a new state-of-the-art facility in Gaithersburg for the development and clinical supply of innovative molecules to be used in clinical trials. The investment will support 2,600 jobs across the two sites in the state including the retention of local roles, construction activity, and the creation of 300 highly skilled jobs.

The Frederick facility currently produces biologics, a type of medication used across AstraZeneca’s portfolio of cancer, auto immune, respiratory and rare disease treatments. The planned expansion will nearly double commercial manufacturing capacity, enabling increased supply of existing medicines and, for the first time, production across the company’s rare disease portfolio. It will create 200 highly skilled jobs and 900 construction roles and is expected to be operational in 2029.