Bristol Myers Squibb has selected Houston, Texas, as the site for a new $2.3bn manufacturing campus designed to support multiple pharmaceutical modalities and adapt to future production requirements.
The approximately 600,000 sqft facility will be developed at Generation Park, a 4,300-acre life sciences and advanced manufacturing hub.
Construction is expected to create around 2,000 construction and indirect jobs between 2027 and 2030.
Once operational, the campus is expected to employ nearly 500 people across manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, quality and site management roles.
“As part of our $40 billion commitment to the United States, we're building the domestic manufacturing capabilities needed to deliver the next generation of medicines and support future scientific breakthroughs,” said Christopher Boerner, Board Chair and CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb.
Modular manufacturing approach
BMS said the Houston campus will use a modular design that allows manufacturing capacity and capabilities to be added or reconfigured as its pipeline and commercial requirements change.
The multi-modal facility will be capable of manufacturing different types of medicines, including small molecules, biologics and antibody-drug conjugates.
It will support drug product and finished goods manufacturing from late-stage development through commercial launch, allowing multiple modalities and disease areas to be handled at the same site.
The campus will also incorporate digital technologies and automation, with the design intended to accommodate future changes in manufacturing technology and processes.
BMS said it expects the site to expand in scale and capability beyond its initial configuration.
Expanding US manufacturing capacity
The Houston project forms part of BMS' planned $40bn investment in US research and development, technology and domestic manufacturing over five years.
The company said the investment is intended to expand its domestic manufacturing capabilities while increasing flexibility and resilience across its supply network.
BMS currently works with a contract manufacturer in Texas for commercial and clinical trial manufacturing and operated 250 clinical trial sites in the state in 2025.
The company selected Texas following an evaluation of markets across the central and eastern US, considering factors including the regional life sciences workforce, utilities and transport infrastructure, available incentives and the wider business environment.
Other pharma giants scaling their US footprint
BMS is not the only pharmaceutical giant that is strengthening its manufacturing footprint in the US.
Last September, AstraZeneca, Merck and Eli Lilly pulled or paused plans for UK biotech investment but have doubled down on investments in the US.
However, AstraZeneca announced plans in April to unfreeze the paused £200m expansion in Cambridge and invest £100m into a Macclesfield site to expand its digital-enabled drug discovery capabilities.
The Houston campus is expected to strengthen BMS' capacity to manufacture medicines in the US while providing infrastructure that can be adapted as its manufacturing requirements evolve.
