AstraZeneca has announced a landmark $50 billion investment in the United States by 2030, with Virginia selected as the cornerstone location for the pharmaceutical giant's largest single manufacturing facility investment worldwide. The comprehensive investment plan is designed to strengthen America's domestic pharmaceutical supply chain while supporting the company's ambitious revenue targets.
Virginia Manufacturing Hub for Metabolic Medicines
The centerpiece of this investment is a new multi-billion dollar drug substance manufacturing facility planned for the Commonwealth of Virginia. This state-of-the-art center will focus on producing drug substances for AstraZeneca's innovative weight management and metabolic portfolio, including oral GLP-1, baxdrostat, oral PCSK9, and combination small molecule products.
The facility will manufacture small molecules, peptides, and oligonucleotides, leveraging artificial intelligence, automation, and data analytics to optimize production processes. This multi-billion dollar capital investment comes in addition to the $3.5 billion previously announced in November 2024.
"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," said Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca. "It will also support our ambition to reach $80 billion in revenue by 2030."
Comprehensive National Expansion Strategy
The $50 billion investment extends far beyond the Virginia facility, encompassing a broad expansion of AstraZeneca's R&D and manufacturing footprint across the United States over the next five years. Key components include:
- Expansion of the R&D facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland
- A state-of-the-art R&D center in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Next-generation manufacturing facilities for cell therapy in Rockville, Maryland and Tarzana, California
- Continuous manufacturing expansion in Mount Vernon, Indiana
- Specialty manufacturing expansion in Coppell, Texas
- New sites to supply clinical trials
- Growing research and development investment in novel medicines
Economic Impact and Job Creation
The investment is expected to create tens of thousands of new, highly skilled direct and indirect jobs across the country. Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia emphasized the transformational nature of the investment, stating, "This project will set the standard for the latest technological advancements in pharmaceutical manufacturing, creating hundreds of highly skilled jobs and helping further strengthen the nation's domestic supply chain."
Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, highlighted the strategic importance of the investment: "For decades Americans have been reliant on foreign supply of key pharmaceutical products. President Trump and our nation's new tariff policies are focused on ending this structural weakness. We are proud that AstraZeneca has made the decision to bring substantial pharmaceutical production to our shores."
Strategic Revenue Ambitions
The massive investment aligns with AstraZeneca's goal to reach $80 billion in total revenue by 2030, with expectations that 50% of this revenue would be generated in the US market. Currently, the US represents 42% of AstraZeneca's total revenue, making it the company's largest market.
AstraZeneca currently employs more than 18,000 people across 19 R&D, manufacturing, and commercial sites in the United States, supporting 92,000 jobs overall. In 2024, the company contributed $5 billion directly to the American economy and created approximately $20 billion worth of overall value.
Therapeutic Focus Areas
The Virginia facility will optimize production particularly in oncology, cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, respiratory, immunology, and rare diseases. This broad therapeutic focus reflects AstraZeneca's comprehensive approach to addressing critical medical needs across multiple disease areas.
Based in the United Kingdom, AstraZeneca's medicines are currently sold in more than 125 countries and used by millions of patients worldwide. The company focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in oncology, rare diseases, and biopharmaceuticals, including cardiovascular, renal & metabolism, and respiratory & immunology.
