The new greenfield facility will be used for the assembly and packaging of vials and syringes

Amgen

Amgen to construct new pharmaceutical packaging facility in New Albany. (Credit: City of New Albany)

US-based biotechnology company Amgen is set to invest $365m to construct a new pharmaceutical packaging facility in New Albany, Ohio.

The advanced final product assembly and packaging plant is expected to create up to 400 new jobs in the New Albany region, which is located 15 miles northeast of the state capital of Columbus.

Amgen will use the new green-field facility for the assembly and packaging of vials and syringes to meet the demand for its medicines.

The company plans to begin construction on the new 270,000ft² facility later this year. It intends to commence operations at the new facility in 2024.

Amgen will use the capital for land acquisition, building construction and manufacturing equipment.

The company will also recruit 400 full-time staff, including technicians and engineers, quality assurance, quality control, administrative and management positions.

Amgen stated that the new facility will be constructed as per environmental standards to meet the firm’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2027.

Amgen has appointed Sandra Rodríguez-Toledo as vice president of site operations for the new facility. She will focus on designing the new site, preparing for operations and building the new team.

In a statement, Rodríguez-Toledo said: “I am honoured to lead this new smart facility and build the best team to ensure that it is up and running in 2024 to supply medicines for our patients.”

Amgen operations executive vice president Esteban Santos said: “We are adding this additional assembly and packaging plant to our global supply chain network to support the anticipated growth in demand for Amgen medicines.

“We plan to include some of our most advanced digital automation technologies in this new location as we partner with the thriving business community of the Columbus Region to further expand biotechnology regionally.”

Amgen provides biologic medicines to treat patients with serious illnesses across the therapeutic areas of oncology, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, bone health, neuroscience and nephrology.