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Pfizer Invests $750M in Michigan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Expansion
Company officials plan to expand the Western Michigan plant responsible for mass-producing the first COVID-19 vaccines.
Pfizer is investing $750 million to expand its primary manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The expansion will allow the pharmaceutical company to increase the production of vaccines and medicines using mRNA technology.
This week, Pfizer unveiled the major investment in Michigan, building on previous $465 million and $120 million expansions in the state.
“At Pfizer, we continue to invest in our manufacturing infrastructure, building a more resilient supply chain, so patients have the medicines and vaccines they need,” said Mike McDermott, Chief Global Supply Officer, Executive Vice President of Pfizer. “This latest investment in our Kalamazoo site will help us advance some of the most innovative manufacturing technologies in sterile injectable production and distribution while increasing access to these vital medicines.”
The Kalamazoo site specializes in active pharmaceutical ingredients, drug products, and medical devices. Each year Pfizer manufactures 1,200 metric tons of ingredients at the site and 140 million sterile injectables.
Pfizer estimates that the expansion will create 300 long-term jobs, adding to the 3,000 existing jobs at the facility.
“Today, Pfizer is making another bold bet on Michigan’s manufacturing strengths and hardworking people,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at a press conference celebrating the announcement. “This $750 million investment will expand capacity at their Kalamazoo facility, creating good-paying jobs and fostering long-term economic opportunity for Michiganders.”
Pfizer also recently broke ground on its $465 million 420,000-square-foot pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Portage, Michigan. The facility will focus on producing Dynastat, a pain medicine mainly used in Europe. That facility is expected to commence operations in 2025, bringing 450 jobs to the western Michigan area.
Previously, the company invested $120 million in its Kalamazoo, Michigan facility to enable its production of PAXLOVID, the COVID-19 oral treatment.
Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, has committed to increasing the company’s US-based manufacturing network going into the future. “By increasing production at our Michigan facility, we are helping patients around the world and expanding important manufacturing innovation to the US. "This investment builds upon our $5 billion of investments across our manufacturing and distribution portfolio since 2017 to support the ongoing growth of US manufacturing leadership.”
To the southwest, a major competitor and pharmaceutical giant, Eli Lilly, has also made pharmaceutical manufacturing investments, spending $2.1 billion in Indiana to increase its production of active ingredients and new therapeutics. Lilly’s move, announced earlier this year, will bring nearly 500 jobs to Indiana’s Boone County and help strengthen the US pharmaceutical supply chain.
