Bayer plans $2.2B pharma manufacturing campus in Ohio

Amid an effort to expand U.S.-based production capabilities, Bayer plans to invest $2.2 billion to build a new pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Ohio.

The project is slated to begin construction next year at New Albany International Business Park. The state-of-the-art facility will initially support the Whippany-based pharma giant’s growing portfolio in oncology, cardiovascular and renal care, according to an Oct. 2 news release.

The first module will focus on drug substance manufacturing for medicines. Bayer anticipates it will be operational in 2031. A second module for drug product manufacturing is planned for 2034, the company added.

According to Bayer, the campus will create about 600 high-value jobs and roughly 1,500 construction jobs.

It will also complement Bayer’s U.S. headquarters in Whippany, as well as research, development and manufacturing operations in locations including Pittsburgh, Berkeley, Cambridge, Research Triangle Park and San Diego, the company said.

Holger Weintritt is head of product supply at Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals division. She described the facility as “a strong strategic addition to our global Product Supply network.”

“As we continue to invest in our existing manufacturing sites around the globe, our planned presence in Ohio will further enhance our ability to serve our markets with greater resilience and reliability,” he said.

‘A key manufacturing base and innovation hub’

The newly announced investment builds on more than $7 billion Bayer says it has spent on domestic research, development and manufacturing over the past five years. CEO Bill Anderson said the company “has long seen the United States as a key manufacturing base and innovation hub.”

“This landmark investment underscores our commitment. The new site will be home to manufacturing expertise and a skilled workforce that will strengthen our ability to deliver innovative, high-quality medicines to patients both in the United States and abroad,” he said.

Bayer Global Chief Operating Officer and President, Bayer U.S. Sebastian Guth called the U.S. “a key market” for the pharmaceuticals division.

“This expansion is another important step to grow our pharmaceuticals business and to meet the demand of our customers and patients in the U.S., our fastest-growing pharmaceuticals market, and beyond,” Guth said.

Domestic production

The project comes as the Trump administration continues pushing to bring more pharmaceutical manufacturing to the U.S.

While more than two dozen drugmakers reached deals with the White House to lower prescription drug costs in exchange from an exemption from U.S. pharmaceutical tariffs, Bayer is not one of them. The list does include several other New Jersey-based companies, such as Sanofi, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Sun Pharma and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Many of the firms with “most favored nation” drug-pricing agreements have also unveiled billions of dollars aimed at strengthening U.S. R&D and manufacturing. Recently announced projects include:

• Bristol Myers Squibb’s $2.3 billion manufacturing campus in Texas
• Novartis’ $771 million production hub in North Carolina
• Johnson & Johnson’s $1 billion distribution facility in Florida

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