Amgen Opens Its Most Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Ohio

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Ohio just got a new manufacturing site.

Amgen announced that it has opened a new manufacturing site in central Ohio.¹ According to a press release, the new site is the company’s most advanced facility to date.

The facility, which is part of Amgen’s global operations network, is 3000-000-square-feet. It will employ a staff of 400 people and has been designed to be environmentally sustainable. Amgen has pledged to be carbon neutral for all of its operations by the year 2027.

In a press release, Amgen’s chairman and chief executive officer Robert A. Bradway said, “Our new facility, known as Amgen Ohio, was designed with the latest innovation and technology to deliver safe, reliable medicines for 'every patient, every time. As part of Amgen's global biomanufacturing network, Amgen Ohio will play an important role in helping us address serious disease around the world with our innovative biomedicines."

Ohio’s lt. governor Jon Husted also stated, “This new Ohio facility is a success story in advanced healthcare manufacturing and the Made-in-America supply chain we need to live and thrive. Winning this project for Ohio creates 400 high-paying jobs and a $40 million annual payroll, supporting families and further growing the Ohio economy."

This move is the latest move by a pharma company to increase its ability to produce and manufacture its own drugs. While this is not Amgen’s first manufacturing site, it is its most advanced site, which demonstrates the level of importance it has to the company. Based on recent moves across the pharma industry, it appears that pharma companies are starting to put a higher value on their manufacturing capabilities.

Several other companies have recently made moves to increase their manufacturing capabilities, more commonly through a merger or acquisition.

Pharmaceutical Executive recently reported that Novo Nordisk’s parent company, Novo Holdings, has entered into an agreement to purchase Catalent.² As part of the deal, Novo Nordisk will then purchase three manufacturing sites that Novo Holdings will acquire from Catalent. The overall deal is for $16.5 billion.

The move is likely part of Novo Nordisk’s plan to increase its capabilities to produce Wegovy, a popular drug that has become known for its weight loss effects. The drug became popular after influencers touted its impact on social media, which greatly increased the demand for the drug. Unfortunately, Novo Nordisk has been unable to meet the demand, making the drug expensive and difficult to find.

Last year, Novo Nordisk had to take steps to limit the low-dose, entry level version of the drug in the United States. The company recently increased the supply, but it is still struggling to meet the overall demand. The Catalent purchase, once finalized, will potentially improve its ability to do so.

Sources

1. Amgen Opens State-of-the-Art Biomanufacturing Site in Central Ohio. Amgen. February 26, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amgen-opens-state-of-the-art-biomanufacturing-site-in-central-ohio-302070160.html
2. Novo Nordisk’s Parent Company to Acquire Catalent To Boost Supply of Wegovy. Pharmaceutical Executive. February 5, 2024. Accessed February 26, 2024. https://www.pharmexec.com/view/novo-nordisk-parent-company-catalent-acquisition-wegovy