Hikma Pharmaceuticals plans to spend $267 million to expand a pair of manufacturing facilities in Ohio as part of the $1 billion the U.K. drugmaker committed a year ago to build out its U.S. operations.
Hikma’s expansion in Columbus includes spending $216 million to grow its oral solid dose and nasal inhalation production capacity and is expected to create 50 new jobs at the site. The facility, which has been operating as a pharma production plant since 1938, is one of the largest manufacturing employers in the city, the company said in a June 1 press release.
Columbus is also the site of one of three global Hikma R&D hubs.
In Bedford, Ohio, Hikma’s site will see an infusion of $51 million and the addition of 300 new positions to expand injectables production, including new aseptic vial filling and lyophilization tech. The investment there fits Hikma’s plans to meet demand for high-quality sterile injectable drugs.
“We are pleased that a significant amount of the new U.S. investments we announced last June will be spent in Ohio to further expand Hikma’s capacity to develop and manufacture medicines that will help millions of American patients,” Hafrun Fridriksdottir, president of Hikma U.S. operations and chief R&D officer, said in a statement. “We are proud to continue building our Ohio workforce and our ability to make safe, affordable, high-quality medicines in Ohio for American patients.”
Ohio tax officials approved certain tax credits to support the projects, according to the Ohio governor’s office. Additional investments by other state and local entities are pending approval. No dollar amounts for those potential contributions were disclosed.
“Hikma’s expanded facilities in central and northeast Ohio will strengthen its ability to ensure patients have reliable access to the medicines they need,” Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio said in a statement. “This significant investment reaffirms Hikma’s commitment to the state, creating high-quality jobs and signaling to the industry that Ohio will continue to be a major player in the future of healthcare.”
The news dropped almost exactly a year after Hikma unveiled plans to spend $1 billion by 2030 to boost its U.S. manufacturing footprint. The company has spent more than $4 billion in the U.S. in the past 15 years.