Mainz, Germany-based pharmaceutical container and delivery system supplier Schott Pharma AG & Co. is investing $371 million in Wilson, N.C., for a plant to manufacture prefillable plastic syringes.
The new site, expected to create more than 400 jobs to the region, is projected to begin operations in 2027, a March 18 news release said. Construction will begin at the end of 2024.
"Expanding operations in the U.S. increases the domestic supply chain for … syringes and will protect the U.S. pharmaceutical market and public against critical drug shortages caused by supply chain disruptions," Chris Cassidy, president of Schott North America, Inc., told Plastics News in an emailed statement.
The company's prefillable syringes support many U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies making vaccines, biologics, and diabetes and weight loss medications (GLP-1), Cassidy said.
The facility will be its first U.S.-based manufacturer of plastic, prefillable syringes.
"Schott Pharma's prefillable syringes are only manufactured in Europe," he added. "Bringing production to the U.S. [will] reduce lead times and slash transportation costs for life-saving injectable medicines.
"The recent global drug shortages highlight that crisis-driven supply chain issues can arise at any time," Cassidy said.
"As drug manufacturers develop and expand the use of mRNA, GLP-1 and other biologic therapies that require precise drug stability and storage properties, Schott Pharma will be able to fill those orders quickly and efficiently here in the U.S.," Andreas Reisse, CEO of Schott Pharma, said in the release. "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.
The U.S. is a key strategic market for the entire Schott Group, the release said. It has manufactured vials at its plant in Lebanon, Pa., for 20 years.
"The company underwent a nationwide site selection process for a campus-like property to serve further growth opportunities," the firm added. "While Schott is not guaranteeing additional investment to support other markets at this time, the site in Wilson ... offers the possibility of future expansion."