AstraZeneca invests $135M on expanding biologics facility in Sweden

29-Aug-2024 - Last updated on 29-Aug-2024 at 14:58 GMT

The expansion aims to meet the company’s rapidly growing need for in-house biologics manufacturing, with an emphasis on pre-filled syringe products.

AstraZeneca has announced plans to expand its existing manufacturing operations at the Sweden Biomanufacturing Center in Södertälje, a Swedish town located near Stockholm. The company will spend $135 million in the expansion, making it the largest single investment in the facility since it was inaugurated back in 2021.

The Sweden Biomanufacturing Center is currently one of the largest manufacturing units of pharmaceuticals in the world, and the largest for AstraZeneca. The expansion will add 2,700 square meters to the existing facility, increasing its floor space by 50%, and will include the installation of new equipment for filling biologics into pre-filled syringes.

AstraZeneca stated that the goal for the expansion is to meet the rapidly growing demand for biologics, which now make up more than 50% of the company’s current research portfolio. The company plans to be able to start manufacturing products for patients in the expanded facility in the fourth quarter of 2027.

According to the drugmaker, the expansion of the Sweden Biomanufacturing Center will create new job opportunities in the Södertälje site, which currently hosts over 4.600 employees.

Manufacturing biologics in Sweden

“We are pleased with this investment in Södertälje, which demonstrates AstraZeneca's commitment to innovation and manufacturing of biologics in Sweden,” stated Per Alfredsson, Senior Vice President of Global Biologics Operations at AstraZeneca. “The planned expansion will strengthen our ability to deliver high quality, life-changing medicines to patients around the world. It is also an expression of the confidence we have in the expertise and potential of the region.”

The construction of the Sweden Biomanufacturing Center was announced in 2015 as part of a three-step plan to expand AstraZeneca’s biologics manufacturing capabilities.Today, the medicines delivered from AstraZeneca’s Sweden operations account for around 40% of the company’s total sales.

With the expansion of the Södertälje site, AstraZeneca aims to establish the Sweden Biomanufacturing Centre as a global launch facility that can meet its growing need for increased in-house manufacturing capacity. This will further strengthen AstraZeneca’s presence in Sweden, where the company also runs research and innovation activities at its Gothenburg site with over 3,000 workers.