AstraZeneca announced today that it plans to invest $2 billion to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing footprint in Maryland.
The company plans to expand its flagship biologics manufacturing facility and construct a new state-of-the-art facility in Gaithersburg. It plans for the facilities to aid in the development and clinical supply of innovative molecules for use in clinical trials.
AstraZeneca said the investment supports 2,600 jobs across the two sites in the state, including the retention of local roles, construction activity and the creation of 300 highly skilled jobs.
In Frederick, the facility currently produces biologics for use across the company’s portfolio of cancer, autoimmune, respiratory and rare disease treatments. It plans to expand the commercial manufacturing facility by nearly two times. This enables the increased supply of existing medicines and, for the first time, production across the company’s rare disease portfolio. The expansion includes 200 highly skilled jobs and 900 construction roles. The company expects to have the expansion operational in 2029.
AstraZeneca also plans to build a new clinical manufacturing facility to expand its footprint in Gaithersburg. Also slated to go online in 2029, the facility should create an additional 100 jobs, retain 400 roles and support a further 1,000 construction-related jobs.
The company expects to leverage cutting-edge AI, automation and data analytics at both facilities. It also says both will be built to “the highest environmental standards.
This marks the latest investment for AstraZeneca, following the announcement of a $50 billion commitment toward U.S. manufacturing. The commitment includes a new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland, a new drug substance manufacturing facility in Virginia and the expansion of the Company’s existing manufacturing facility in Coppell, Texas.
The U.S. is AstraZeneca’s largest market by sales and is also home to 19 R&D, manufacturing and commercial sites. Its U.S. workforce exceeds more than 25,000 people and supports more than 100,000 jobs overall across the country. In 2025, AstraZeneca created approximately $20 billion of overall value to the American economy.
Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said:
“Today marks a landmark moment for Maryland and American patients. As the state’s largest biopharmaceutical employer, we are deepening our long-standing commitment to Maryland – supporting 2,600 jobs, catalyzing economic growth and bringing our extensive rare disease portfolio onshore for the first time. This investment strengthens the resilience of the U.S. medicines supply chain and accelerates access to transformative therapies for patients across America and around the world.”
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