Roche is expanding its drug production in the United States through its U.S. subsidiary, Genentech. A new fill-finish facility for drug delivery systems is planned at the Hillsboro site in Oregon. The total investment amounts to approximately $750 million. The project is expected to double the size of the existing facility. The new production area will be built on a Genentech campus. With additional capacity for the filling and assembly of drug delivery systems, the site will in the future cover further manufacturing steps while also providing capacity for the future drug pipeline of Roche and Genentech.
Roche creates capacity for syringes and autoinjectors
Among other things, the new facility will manufacture prefilled syringes and autoinjectors. Depending on the drug and therapy, such delivery systems enable medication to be administered outside of a hospital setting. Production capacity will be designed to be flexible. The plan is to fill both large and small quantities of various products from the Roche and Genentech portfolios. This will enable the site to adapt its production to changes in the drug pipeline.
According to current plans, commercial operations are scheduled to begin in 2031. Genentech expects to create approximately 250 additional production jobs. Additionally, about 200 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase.
Production site in North Carolina also expanding
The investment in Oregon follows the construction of another Genentech production facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina. A topping-out ceremony for the new building was recently held there. The site is intended for the production of future drugs to treat metabolic diseases. According to the company, this includes next-generation drugs for the treatment of obesity.
Roche has 13 production sites in the U.S.
With these investments, the pharmaceutical company is expanding its existing infrastructure in the United States. Roche and Genentech currently operate 13 production sites and 15 research and development sites there. The expansion in Hillsboro is intended, in particular, to further expand the production processes for injectable drugs and their delivery systems.
