Two of the world’s largest life sciences companies have expanded their previously announced partnership to produce advanced medicines in North Carolina. Johnson & Johnson announced it would increase its presence in the state with a 160,000-square-foot dedicated manufacturing facility at FUJIFILM Biotechnologies’ new biopharmaceutical production site in Holly Springs, 20 miles southwest of Raleigh.
The $2 billion commitment to FUJIFILM over the next 10 years will create about 120 new jobs in the state.
“Johnson & Johnson has more manufacturing facilities in the U.S. than in any other country, and we continue to strengthen our presence here,” said Joaquin Duato, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer.
FUJIFILM Biotechnologies was featured in a recent CNBC story on the company's new facilities.
In March, the company announced it would invest $55 billion to support U.S. manufacturing, research and development, and technology investments over the next four years. The investments will enable J&J to manufacture “the vast majority” of its advanced medicines in the U.S. to meet the needs of U.S. patients.
The company also said it intends to announce plans in the coming months for additional advanced manufacturing facilities in the U.S. as well as the expansion of current U.S. sites.
Meanwhile, progress continues in the construction of J&J’s new biologics manufacturing facility in Wilson, 50 miles east of Raleigh.
The $2 billion facility, spanning over 300,000 square feet in the Wilson Corporate Park, will produce medicines for cancer and immunological and neurological diseases and will employ more than 500 people when fully operational.
The two J&J investments in North Carolina are by Janssen Supply Group, a company subsidiary.
J&J is a global health care and medtech company based in New Brunswick, N.J. It has over 130,000 employees engaged in research and development, manufacturing and sales worldwide.
FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, a unit of the Tokyo-based conglomerate FUJIFILM Holdings Corp., is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that produces biologics, vaccines and advanced therapies for biopharmaceutical companies under contract.
The company is finishing construction of a $3.2 billion facility in Holly Springs that will offer large-scale cell culture manufacturing of bulk drug substances. The company expects to have 1,400 workers at the plant by 2031.
J&J was the first biopharmaceutical company to commit to the FUJIFILM facility. Since then, FUJIFILM signed a 10-year agreement valued at over $3 billion to produce biologic medicines for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
FUJIFILM also operates a multi-product manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park that performs fermentation, cell culture, recovery, purification, and bulk fill.