North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Novartis, a global medicines company, announced plans Tuesday to expand its operations in North Carolina by building a new flagship manufacturing hub designed to produce the company’s key medicines entirely in the U.S.
The expansion is part of a broader $23 billion investment in U.S.-based infrastructure over the next five years, aimed at increasing manufacturing capacity and enabling 100 per cent of Novartis’ critical medicines to be produced end-to-end domestically.
The North Carolina hub will include multiple new and expanded facilities: two new sites in Durham dedicated to biologics and sterile packaging, a new facility in Morrisville for solid dosage tablets and capsules, and upgrades to the existing Durham campus to support sterile filling of biologics into syringes and vials.
Currently, Novartis manufactures gene therapies in Durham. The new and existing facilities will form a single, integrated hub covering the company’s main therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolic treatments. The close proximity of the sites is expected to create efficiencies in production from active ingredients to final packaging.
“This announcement is a commitment to American innovation and to the patients we serve,” said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. “By building a full, end-to-end manufacturing presence in North Carolina for our broader portfolio, we are expanding our capacity to deliver medical breakthroughs, securing a more resilient U.S. supply chain, and investing in the local communities that make our mission possible.”
The flagship hub, expected to open between 2027 and 2028, will encompass more than 700,000 square feet and is projected to create 700 direct jobs at Novartis and more than 3,000 indirect jobs in the supply chain by 2030.
Novartis already produces advanced therapies in locations across the U.S., including cell and gene therapies in Morris Plains, N.J., and Durham, N.C.; radioligand therapies in Millburn, N.J., Indianapolis, Ind., and Carlsbad, Calif.; and plans to add facilities in Florida and Texas. A new site for xRNA therapies will be announced later.
The company said the expansion will strengthen U.S. production capabilities and further solidify North Carolina’s role as a hub for pharmaceutical innovation.