Latest news with #drugmanufacturing
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pharma's turbo spending spree on US manufacturing
This story was originally published on PharmaVoice. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily PharmaVoice newsletter. Investments in U.S. drug manufacturing are skyrocketing. Pharma giants everywhere have announced massive, multi-year deals to build and expand facilities across the country as several market factors make the U.S. a favorable destination for producing branded drugs. The looming threat of U.S. tariffs remains a motivator for companies from around the globe. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said tariffs as high as 200% on pharma products would be introduced 'very soon.' Other industry shifts, including the growing GLP-1 market and the demand for skilled workers in pharma's tech-heavy manufacturing environment, are also tipping the scales toward the U.S. Amid the investment boom, tens of billions of dollars are pouring into manufacturing hubs like Raleigh, North Carolina, and generating thousands of job openings for engineers, R&D personnel, operations professionals and more. Here's a look at the latest companies to hop on the U.S. manufacturing bandwagon. AstraZeneca makes its largest-ever single facility investment AstraZeneca joined the $50 billion club this month when it announced a sprawling manufacturing and R&D investment in the U.S. The size of the investment matches the other leading pledges from pharma companies this year — including Roche, Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly — to each pump $50 billion or more into U.S. facilities. CEO Pascal Soroit acknowledged that tariffs played a part in the U.K.-based company's decision to pump up its U.S. operations in a recent interview with Fortune, but also noted that Europe is 'losing ground' as a drug production destination by focusing on 'social benefits and managing costs.' AstraZeneca's plan includes $4 billion for a drug substance facility in Virginia — its largest single-facility manufacturing investment in the world. But the $50 billion in funds will stretch across the country and include an R&D expansion in Maryland, a continuous manufacturing expansion in Indiana, a next-generation cell therapy facility in Texas, a 'state of the art' R&D center in Massachusetts' biotech hub at Kendall Square and more. The American market for drugs also plays a starring role in the company's broader ambitions. All told, AstraZeneca aims to boost its total revenue from the $54 billion-mark it hit in 2024 to over $80 billion by 2030 — half of which it expects to be generated in the U.S., the company said. Biogen pours more into North Carolina Biogen is broadening its manufacturing footprint in North Carolina. The company said it will invest $2 billion into two campuses in the state's Research Triangle Park, Biogen's current hub for manufacturing. The fresh funds will expand Biogen's capacity for multiple modalities, including antisense oligonucleotides, while modernizing its operations with automation and AI. Biogen is still working to move past its Aduhelm debacle. The Eisai-partnered Alzheimer's drug notched a historic approval in 2021 but was later pulled from the market amid cost and efficacy controversies. Its other Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi has had a stronger showing on the market and has steadily risen in sales since last year. But Biogen has also been in cost-cutting mode since 2023 and expects revenue to decline this year. Going forward, the company is leaning on its pipeline, including treatments for Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy, to set the stage for future growth. Its latest manufacturing investment adds to the $10 billion it has funneled into North Carolina since setting up shop at Research Triangle Park in 1995. Thermo Fisher snags Sanofi facility to boost fill-finish chops Thermo Fisher Scientific is expanding its production prowess with the help of a growing Sanofi partnership. The companies said this month that Thermo Fisher is snapping up a sterile, fill-finish manufacturing site from the French pharma for an undisclosed sum. The move comes amid higher-than-expected profit last quarter for Thermo Fisher, one of the pharma industry's key suppliers of clinical research services and equipment. The new digs will help Thermo Fisher 'strengthen' its U.S. manufacturing capabilities for the broader pharma industry, the company stated. The latest move is also a part of the four-year, $2 billion commitment to U.S. manufacturing Thermo Fisher announced in April. Recommended Reading Tracking a moving target: Drugmakers brace for a looming tariff impact
National Post
6 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Canada-UK Collaboration Developing AI-powered Bioreactors to Revolutionise Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing
Article content KITCHENER, Ontario & United Kingdom — An international initiative will transform biologics and drug manufacturing through AI-driven multiplatform integration. The AI-optimised BALANCE (Bioreactor Automation for Learning and Adaptive Networked Control of Experiments) platform will leverage Nicoya's real-time sensing and control systems, integrated with automation from Labman Automation, bioreactor technologies from CPI, and AI development by Basetwo to make bioprocessing smarter, more efficient, and faster. Article content The 20-month collaboration, led by Labman, is supported by a $2 million grant from Innovate UK and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) through a Canada-UK Collaborative R&D initiative. The goal of the project is to deliver an AI-optimised demonstrator platform integrating bioreactor technologies with real-time sensing and control systems. It will leverage the joint expertise of the partners, bringing together the latest in AI, automation, and real-time process control to streamline upstream bioprocessing, ensuring higher yields, lower costs, and improved scalability for next-generation therapeutics. This aims to enhance the precision and efficiency of biologic drug production, offering a smarter, faster path to market. Article content Bioprocessing is an often-inefficient part of manufacturing that can slow down biopharma development. Optimizing bioprocessing requires making bioreactor operation more dynamic, relying on real-time data from biosensors. At the core of the BALANCE initiative is a closed-loop AI control system powered by Basetwo's digital twin platform. The machine learning models will interpret real-time data from the bioreactor and biosensors, enabling adaptive control of experimental conditions for real-time optimization of bioreactor performance. Labman will build an automated modular sampling platform that will automate molecular analysis, integrating seamlessly with Nicoya's Alto SPR biosensor for instant yield data and adaptive process control. Article content Basetwo's digital twin technology further enhances efficiency by predicting quality outcomes and reducing reliance on costly lab testing. CPI will validate and benchmark the system, ensuring practical scalability and commercial viability for biologics manufacturing. Article content This project marks a major step forward in digital bioprocessing, paving the way for increased efficiency, reduced variability, and faster time-to-market for breakthrough biologics. As an AI-driven testbed for next-generation model-based process control, the platform holds transformative potential for pharma and biotech industries striving for scalable, cost-effective production solutions. Article content 'Until now, sensing technology has been too slow and complex to enable truly reactive bioprocessing,' said Ryan Denomme, co-founder and CEO of Nicoya. 'Label-free biosensing is critical to unlocking the potential for automation and AI to drive efficiency in biomanufacturing, overcoming the complexity inherent in systems dealing with the diversity of living organisms. We look forward to working with our BALANCE partners to solve a bottleneck that can accelerate drug development.' Article content 'This is the next step for biologics and drug manufacturing, integrating Industry 4.0 approaches for bioprocessing,' said Thomas Smith, Head of Bioprocess Automation at Labman. 'By combining advanced sensing, AI and automation, we aim to accelerate process development, improve consistency, and create smarter, more efficient biomanufacturing workflows.' Article content Brendan Fish, Director of Biologics at CPI: 'Pharmaceutical companies know they must embrace digitalisation to stay competitive, but integrating digital technologies has been challenging in an industry that can be slow to evolve. Through collaboration, BALANCE is bridging this gap by validating and scaling AI-driven bioprocessing solutions to accelerate adoption and translate advancements into real-world impact for biologics manufacturing.' Article content 'AI-enabled digital twins is the next frontier in intelligent manufacturing,' said Thouheed Abdul Gaffoor, CEO at Basetwo. 'By combining our hybrid modelling approach with advanced sensing and automation, this collaboration moves us closer to autonomous biomanufacturing, cutting time, cost, and variability in producing life-saving therapeutics.' Article content About Nicoya Article content Nicoya is a Canadian life sciences tools company that specializes in biosensor technology. Its Alto Digital SPR platform delivers label-free, real-time biomolecular analysis, streamlining bioprocess development and monitoring. Article content About Labman Article content Labman Automation is a UK-based engineering company that designs and builds bespoke robotic systems and laboratory automation solutions. With a strong focus on flexibility, creativity, and engineering excellence, Labman helps customers across industries streamline operations and push the boundaries of what's possible in automated research and manufacturing. Article content About CPI Article content CPI catalyses the adoption of advanced technologies and manufacturing solutions to benefit people, places, and our planet. As part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, CPI helps accelerate innovation in HealthTech, pharma, AgriFoodTech, and beyond through world-class infrastructure and expertise. Article content About Basetwo Article content Basetwo is an AI platform helping process engineers in pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing optimize operations using hybrid modelling. The platform provides engineers with recommendations on the next best action they can implement to maximize product quality, production yield, and process efficiency. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AstraZeneca announces $50bn US investment plans by 2030
AstraZeneca has announced $50bn investment plans in the US by 2030 for drug manufacturing, and research and development (R&D). The investment represents a substantial capital infusion to the $3.5bn announced in November 2024. The focus of this investment is a manufacturing facility dedicated to producing drug substances for AstraZeneca's weight management and metabolic product range. This portfolio includes oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), baxdrostat, oral proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and combination small molecule treatments. The new facility will be designed to manufacture peptides, small molecules and oligonucleotides. To be constructed in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the plant will be AstraZeneca's single manufacturing venture globally. The new facility will incorporate advanced technologies such as AI, automation and data analytics to enhance production capabilities. This financial commitment will generate new direct and indirect jobs in the US. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot stated: 'Today's announcement underpins our belief in America's innovation in biopharmaceuticals and our commitment to the millions of patients who need our medicines in America and globally. It will also support our ambition to reach $80bn in revenue by 2030.' The investment also covers other projects: the expansion of AstraZeneca's R&D facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and the establishment of an advanced R&D centre in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company will also develop next-generation manufacturing facilities for cell therapy in Rockville, Maryland and Tarzana, California, as well as expand its continuous manufacturing operations in Mount Vernon, Indiana. The investment encompasses the expansion of speciality manufacturing in Coppell, Texas, the establishment of new sites to support clinical trials, and an increase in funding for research and development of new medicines. In July 2025, Modella AI entered a multi-year partnership with AstraZeneca aimed at accelerating AI-driven clinical development in oncology. "AstraZeneca announces $50bn US investment plans by 2030" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Reuters
23-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Lonza's half-year core profit tops market expectations
July 23 (Reuters) - Swiss contract drug manufacturer Lonza (LONN.S), opens new tab reported a rise in its half-year core earnings on Wednesday, beating market expectations, aided by contributions from its Vacaville site in the U.S and strong performance in the mammalian, bioconjugates and small molecules technology platforms. Lonza reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 1.1 billion Swiss francs ($1.39 billion) for the first six months of 2025, compared with 893 million francs in the same period last year. Analysts polled by Vara Research had forecast a core profit of 993 million francs. ($1 = 0.7936 Swiss francs)
Zawya
22-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egyptian Drug Authority discusses plans for joint pharmaceutical plant in Zambia
Egypt - Ali El-Ghamrawi, head of the Egyptian Drug Authority, held talks with a joint delegation from Egyptian firm Wadi El-Nile and Zambian developer Pendulum Estates Ltd as part of Egypt's strategy to expand into African markets and strengthen international pharmaceutical partnerships. Discussions centred on plans to establish a joint drug manufacturing plant in Zambia. The initiative aligns with Egypt's broader vision to deepen industrial integration across Africa, transfer expertise and technology, boost regional production capacity, encourage pharmaceutical investment, and enhance regulatory cooperation with African counterparts. It also aims to reinforce Egypt's position as a regional pharmaceutical hub and contribute to securing medicine supplies across the continent. During the meeting, El-Ghamrawi highlighted that localising pharmaceutical production in African countries remains a strategic priority for the Authority. He described the African market as a key target for Egyptian pharmaceutical expansion, both to improve access to essential medicines and support local industry development. Mohamed Dabour, Chairperson of Wadi El-Nile, emphasised the importance of the partnership with the Zambian side, describing the project as a major milestone in the company's plans to expand across Africa and help localise pharmaceutical production on a continental scale. John Zulu, Chairperson of Pendulum Estates Ltd, welcomed the cooperation with Egypt and described the partnership as transformative for Zambia's healthcare system, enabling the domestic production of high-quality medicines to meet local demand. The delegation praised the Drug Authority's strategic leadership and its advanced regulatory and technical expertise, which they said has helped elevate Egypt's pharmaceutical sector both regionally and internationally. They noted that collaboration with the Authority would provide vital technical support, advisory services, and regulatory facilitation needed for the success of the proposed joint plant in Zambia — ultimately enhancing access to quality medicines and supporting health security across Africa. The partnership reflects the Drug Authority's commitment to fostering deeper cooperation with African nations and backing pharmaceutical investments that promote industry growth and deliver tangible health benefits across the continent. © 2024 Daily News Egypt. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
