AstraZeneca to invest over US$1bil in Massachusetts, boost workforce

NEW YORK: AstraZeneca said on Monday it would spend more than US$1 billion in Massachusetts as part of its broader US$50 billion US investment plan, a move expected to expand its workforce in the state by more than 50 per cent in the coming years.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker also opened a new research and development center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of the investment.

Here are key details:

Global drugmakers including Pfizer, Roche and Eli Lilly have been expanding their US footprint, pledging billions of dollars to boost manufacturing and research as they seek to strengthen supply chains and increase domestic capacity.

The 570,000-square-foot, 18-story facility in Kendall Square will focus on developing treatments for cancer, chronic and rare diseases, as well as cell therapies, the drugmaker said.

Together with AstraZeneca's nearby genomic medicine site, the center will house nearly 2,000 researchers and scientists.

The new facility includes 10 floors of laboratories equipped with robotics, automation and artificial intelligence, the company said.

The Cambridge site joins AstraZeneca's other major US research center in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

AstraZeneca has 24 research, manufacturing, commercial and corporate sites in the US and employs more than 25,000 people in the country.