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The $445 million expansion of AstraZeneca’s Coppelsite will boost global production capacity for Lokelma, enhance local job growth, and strengthen the company’s US manufacturing footprint amid industry-wide onshoring trends.
AstraZeneca recently introduced its augmented, modernized production facility in Coppell, TX.1 The latest $445 million expansion is expected to double the manufacturing efforts of Lokelma—sodium zirconium cyclosilicate that’s used to treat hyperkalemia, high potassium levels in the blood.
The Coppell plant is the only manufacturing facility that produces Lokelma worldwide, shipping the drug to more than 50 countries. The current facility houses 250 employees, and via the growth project, the structure will be increasing 9,000 square feet. It’ll welcome two manufacturing lines that will provide drug substance and drug product laboratory testing, along with warehousing, additional manufacturing utilities and administrative space.
“Our manufacturing facility in Coppell serves as both a critical pillar in global healthcare and has played an important role in supporting the local workforce over the past 10 years,” said Jim Fox, senior vice president of Americas supply operations at AstraZeneca. “The expansion underscores our commitment to patients and support for Texas’ long-term vision for scientific growth and innovation.”
The latest announcement from AstraZeneca follows its July decision to financially commit $4.5 billion toward its new production plant in Rivanna Futures’ Albemarle County, VA, which would be an additional increase of $500 million to benefit bolstered manufacturing efforts for various types of meds.2
This is a component of the company’s mission to invest $50 billion in the United States by the year 2030.2
The headline of last week’s news is a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing plant in the Commonwealth of Virginia that is expected to produce drug substances (also known as active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs) for AstraZeneca’s weight management and metabolic portfolio. This features oral GLP-1s, oral PCSK9, and baxdrostat, along with combination small molecule products. The new state-of-the-art center will be producing small molecules, peptides and oligonucleotides.
This new facility—opening in the next four to five years—is also expected to house state-of-the-art manufacturing for its antibody drug conjugate (ADC) cancer portfolio. ADCs deliver chemotherapy agents directly to cancer cells using a linker that binds to a monoclonal antibody.
“We cannot truly be a wealthy nation without being a healthy nation,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator. “Today's groundbreaking demonstrates the Trump Administration's commitment to onshoring drug manufacturing and strengthening supply chains to improve Americans' access to medication. I congratulate AstraZeneca for their investment and invite other foreign manufacturers to follow suit.”
These moves highlight the trend among Big Pharma companies and other manufactures alike that involves moving their manufacturing processes back to the United States, with the avoidance of 100% tariffs on branded or patented pharma products as an incentive.
This includes Lupin, a manufacturer of complex generics, who will be begin constructing a new state-of-the-art pharma manufacturing facility in Coral Springs, FL.3 Investment on the project is expected to total approximately $250 million, which includes research & development, infrastructure, and capital expenses over five years.
The new site is expected to have the capability to manufacture more than 25 critical respiratory meds, such as albuterol inhalers for children with asthma and service members both at home and overseas. According to the company, the new plant offers various positives, including a boost in local manufacturing, supply chain diversification, and the strengthening of drug security. For the Broward County area, the newly announced project with open up over 200 new long-term, skilled jobs by the year 2030.
“The expansion of Lupin’s footprint in Coral Springs is a core part of our growth strategy. This new state-of-the-art facility will build on our existing presence in Florida, which is home to Lupin’s headquarters and our Advanced Inhalation Research Center,” explained Christoph Funke, Lupin’s chief technical operations officer. “This investment demonstrates Lupin’s commitment to innovation, quality and supply chain reliability—and our ability to partner with Florida’s leaders to strengthen America’s medicine security by growing our capacity to produce affordable treatments for patients. We are grateful to Florida’s leadership for their partnership in making this possible.”
Meanwhile, in other parts of the globe such as Singapore, enforcement of a US tariff on its exports are a bit more unclear. As it stands, enforcement is currently being postponed in order to provide stakeholders ample time to work out a potential deal with the US government.3
It’s yet to be seen whether Gan Siow Huang, Singapore’s minister of state for both the ministry of trade and industry and the ministry of foreign affairs, provides a new date for when a possible tariff will be enforced, but she did note that that pharma companies based in the country are waiting to hear if plans to construct and grow manufacturing services will be enough to exempt them from facing a levy.
References
1. AstraZeneca Unveils Expanded Manufacturing Facility in Texas. Business Wire. October 15, 2025. Accessed October 16, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251014866366/en/AstraZeneca-unveils-expanded-manufacturing-facility-in-Texas
2. Saraceno N. AstraZeneca Expands US Manufacturing Footprint by Increasing Virginia Facility Investment to $4.5 Billion. Pharmaceutical Commerce. October 10, 2025. Accessed October 16, 2025. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/astrazeneca-expands-us-manufacturing-footprint-increases-virginia-facility-investment
3. Saraceno N. United States Delays Tariffs on Singapore’s Pharma Exports Amid Ongoing Trade Negotiations. Pharmaceutical Commerce. October 15, 2025. Accessed October 16, 2025. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/united-states-delays-tariffs-on-singapore-pharma-exports
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