Novartis Announces Plans to Build Flagship Manufacturing Hub in North Carolina


Novartis recently announced plans to expand its operations in North Carolina, creating a new flagship manufacturing hub with end-to-end manufacturing capabilities. The strategic investment is a major step to ensure all key Novartis medicines for US patients are manufactured in the US and delivered to patients across the country at scale.

This announcement is part of Novartis’ $23 billion investment in US-based infrastructure over the next five years, designed to increase manufacturing capacity and enable 100% of the company’s key medicines to be produced end-to-end in the US.

As part of this flagship hub in North Carolina, Novartis will:

  • Build a new site in Durham with the construction of two new facilities dedicated to manufacturing biologics and sterile packaging
  • Build a new site in Morrisville with one facility for the production of solid dosage tablets and capsules, including packaging
  • Expand the scope of its existing Durham facility with the added capability to support sterile filling of biologics into syringes and vials

The company is on track to produce all its advanced technologies in the US with:

  • Cell and gene therapies manufactured in Morris Plains, NJ, and Durham, NC
  • Radioligand therapies manufactured coast-to-coast at facilities in Millburn, NJ, Indianapolis, IN, and Carlsbad, CA, and two new sites planned in Florida and Texas
  • xRNA therapies to be manufactured at a new facility whose location will be announced in the coming months

Currently, Novartis produces innovative, life-changing gene therapies in Durham. Together, the new and existing facilities will create a single hub, expanding capabilities to produce medicines across the company’s main therapeutic areas: oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolic. The proximity of the facilities will allow teams and production processes to work in tandem – from manufacturing active ingredients to final packaging – and create efficiencies in its manufacturing.

“This announcement is a commitment to American innovation and to the patients we serve,” said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. “By building a full, end-to-end manufacturing presence in North Carolina for our broader portfolio, we are expanding our capacity to deliver medical breakthroughs, securing a more resilient US supply chain, and investing in the local communities that make our mission possible.”

“North Carolina continues to lead in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Novartis’ expansion in the Triangle reflects our state’s talent and innovative spirit,” said Governor Josh Stein. “This investment will strengthen our state’s economy and ensure life-saving medicines continue to be made right in North Carolina.”

Anticipated to open in 2027-2028, the flagship manufacturing hub, encompassing more than 700,000 square feet between the existing campus and new facilities, is expected to create 700 new jobs at Novartis and more than 3,000 indirect jobs across the supply chain by the end of 2030.

This latest expansion builds on the existing Novartis presence – creating skilled jobs, fueling workforce growth, supporting local communities, and solidifying North Carolina’s strength in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach nearly 300 million people worldwide. Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at https://www.novartis.us and connect with us on LinkedIn US, X/Twitter US and Instagram.