Pharma packaging company Schott Pharma has unveiled plans to establish a new manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina. Schott Pharma says the $371 million investment in the U.S. facility will create more than 400 jobs in the region and significantly expand the company’s presence in the U.S., an increasingly important strategic market for the German company.
Schott also announced an expansion of its Müllheim manufacturing plant in February, which is shown on our map of 2024 facility openings and expansions.
Polymer syringe production a focus
The new site will be the first in the U.S. to manufacture prefillable polymer syringes, which are stored under deep-cold storage in the case of mRNA medications. It will also produce glass prefillable syringes for GLP-1 therapies used to treat diabetes and obesity. The company expects the facility to triple Schott Pharma’s contribution of glass and polymer syringes to the U.S. market by 2030.
Schott Pharma U.S. facility part of firm’s growing U.S. footprint
This announcement comes on the heels of two major milestones for Schott Pharma. In August, the company celebrated 60 years of operations in the U.S., with its primary American facility in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania playing a crucial role in providing drug containment solutions for the domestic pharmaceutical market. Additionally, in September, Schott Pharma successfully launched its initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, raising capital to accelerate sustainable growth and match competitors’ capabilities.
CEO Andreas Reisse highlighted the importance of the new U.S. facility, emphasizing its role in the production and distribution of emerging treatment modalities, including mRNA therapies, peptide-based GLP-1 drugs and conventional biologic therapies. “Schott Pharma will be able to fill [syringe orders for these therapies] quickly and efficiently here in the U.S.,” Reisse said. “The impact of this facility will go far beyond local job creation in North Carolina and will relieve stress on the entire pharmaceutical industry supply chain.”
North Carolina a growing biotech hub
The company’s decision to invest in Wilson, North Carolina was influenced by the region’s local talent pool and proximity to the Research Triangle area, which hosts prominent universities, healthcare companies and biopharma resources. State and local authorities have lent support to the project, with $21 million in incentive awards.