British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has announced plans to invest $2 billion to expand its manufacturing footprint in Maryland, U.S., as part of its broader $50-billion strategy to enhance U.S. manufacturing and research capabilities by 2030.
The investment includes a major expansion of the company’s flagship biologics facility in Frederick and the construction of a new clinical manufacturing site in Gaithersburg. The Frederick facility currently produces biologics across AstraZeneca’s cancer, autoimmune, respiratory, and rare disease portfolios. The expansion will nearly double its commercial manufacturing capacity, enabling increased supply of existing medicines and, for the first time, production across its rare disease portfolio. The project is expected to create 200 highly skilled jobs and 900 construction roles.
The new Gaithersburg facility, expected to be fully operational by 2029, will support the development and clinical supply of innovative molecules for trials, generating an additional 100 permanent jobs, retaining 400 existing roles, and creating around 1,000 construction-related positions.
This announcement follows previous AstraZeneca U.S. investments, including a new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Rockville, a drug substance plant in Virginia, and the expansion of its Coppell, Texas, facility. The U.S. remains AstraZeneca’s largest market, hosting 19 R&D, manufacturing, and commercial sites.
The move aligns with broader industry trends as global pharmaceutical companies increase U.S. investments to expand domestic production following calls to reduce reliance on imported active ingredients and finished products.