CSL Invests $1.5 Billion to Expand Illinois Plasma Therapy Manufacturing with Advanced Horizon 2 Technology
核心洞察
CSL (搜索) broke ground on a $1.5 billion expansion of its Kankakee, Illinois manufacturing facility to enhance production of plasma-derived therapies (搜索) for rare diseases.
The expansion will incorporate CSL (搜索)'s patented Horizon 2 manufacturing process, which significantly increases immunoglobulin production from the same amount of plasma.
The facility expansion is expected to create at least 300 new pharmaceutical jobs and will be operational by 2031.
CSL (搜索), a global biopharmaceutical leader, has broken ground on a $1.5 billion expansion of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Kankakee, Illinois, marking a significant investment in plasma-derived therapy production capacity. The expansion, announced on March 9, 2026, with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other state officials in attendance, will substantially increase the company's ability to produce life-sustaining therapies for patients with rare and serious diseases.
Advanced Manufacturing Technology Integration
The expanded facility will incorporate CSL (搜索)'s Horizon 2 manufacturing process, a patented, yield-enhancing technology that enables significantly greater production of immunoglobulin from the same base amount of plasma. This industry-leading technology is designed to improve plasma efficiency and positions CSL's U.S. network to support sustained growth of the company's lifesaving therapies.
"This site expansion marks an important step forward in increasing efficiency by incorporating new, innovative manufacturing processes and technology into how we produce the plasma-based medicines needed by so many people," said Mary Oates, CSL (搜索) Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "These improvements will increase protein yield from each gram of plasma collected, strengthening Kankakee's role as a vital site in our global network."
Economic Impact and Job Creation
The expansion is expected to create at least 300 new pharmaceutical roles and approximately 800 construction and related jobs in the local community. Currently, more than 1,200 full-time employees work at the Kankakee site. The facility is expected to be operational by 2031.
"Illinois is leading the way in life sciences manufacturing, and CSL (搜索)'s $1.5 billion investment is a powerful vote of confidence in our state," said Governor JB Pritzker. "This expansion will create hundreds of good-paying jobs and strengthen domestic supply chains for critical therapies."
Addressing Critical Medical Needs
The expanded manufacturing capacity will support production of plasma-derived therapies (搜索) that treat conditions including hemophilia (搜索), primary immunodeficiency (搜索), and hereditary angioedema (搜索) (HAE). These therapies are also used as lifesaving standard of care for emergency and life-threatening conditions, including trauma from car accidents, burns, shock, and certain maternal health conditions such as postpartum hemorrhage (搜索).
"For people living with rare diseases like primary immunodeficiency (搜索) (PI), consistent access to treatment is the foundation that lets them plan their days and their futures," said Jorey Berry, president and CEO of the Immunodeficiency Deficiency Foundation (搜索). "Manufacturing plasma-derived therapies (搜索) is a lengthy and complex process, and maintaining reliable supply is an ongoing challenge."
Manufacturing Complexity and Supply Chain
Producing plasma-derived medicines requires a highly complex process that cannot be meaningfully accelerated without compromising safety or quality. Treating a single patient with a plasma-derived therapy for one year can require plasma from hundreds or in some cases thousands of individual donations. Human plasma cannot be manufactured or synthesized and must be donated by healthy individuals and carefully collected, tested, and transformed through a highly regulated, multistep process.
The manufacturing process comprises additional testing, protein separation, viral clearance, purification, and final formulation spanning many months. The result is a medicine built by an isolated protein that is unique to a person's disorder.
Strategic Investment Context
This investment builds on CSL (搜索)'s substantial commitment to U.S. operations. Since 2018, CSL has invested more than $3 billion in its U.S. operations, creating over 6,500 new American jobs and bringing its total U.S. headcount to nearly 19,000, representing about 60% of CSL's global workforce.
"Behind every plasma-derived therapy is a person trying to live a more stable life, and donors who made that therapy possible," said Gordon Naylor, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of CSL (搜索). "As the need for plasma-derived therapies (搜索) continues to grow in the U.S. and globally, expanding our Kankakee site further strengthens this key hub in our supply network."
CSL (搜索), founded in 1916, operates through three businesses: CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus (搜索), and CSL Vifor (搜索), providing lifesaving products to patients in more than 100 countries and employing over 29,000 people globally.