AstraZeneca to invest over $1 billion in Massachusetts, boost workforce

Oct 5 (Reuters) – AstraZeneca said on Monday it would spend more than $1 billion in Massachusetts as part of its broader $50 billion US investment plan, a move expected to expand its workforce in the state by more than 50% 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.

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)