CSL will outlay $1.5bn over the next five years in the US to grow its footprint of plasma therapy production, the latest pharma company to pour money into the country amid tariff threats.
Australia-headquartered CSL remained scant on details, though it said the planned investment will “generate hundreds of high-quality American jobs”.
The US expansion will strengthen the company’s plasma-derived therapies (PDTs) manufacturing, along with securing the company’s supply chain in the country. CSL said the capital injection reflects “the growing clinical need for immunoglobulin over the long term”.
CSL’s plasma therapies unit, CSL Behring, is headquartered in Pennsylvania. CSL Behring contributes the largest proceeds to CSL, with the plasma business generating $11.16bn in revenue in 2024.
Immunoglobulin (Ig) replacement therapy is the main plasma-derived therapy used to treat immunodeficiency diseases. For CSL Behring, its Ig portfolio exhibited strong 7% growth in 2024 compared to 2023.
In its annual report, CSL said that there is a “significant opportunity for continued global Ig growth as the market expands”. The pharma company anticipates its Ig therapies Privigen and Hizentra will gain market share.
CSL’s CEO Paul McKenzie said: “The US is the world’s leading source for plasma, the main component of plasma-derived therapies. These important medicines are often the most effective or only therapies available for many rare or serious diseases.
“By expanding our onshore production capacity in the US, we are deepening our commitment to patient care, creating high-quality jobs and driving innovation in the US.”
While the planned investments still need to be approved by CSL’s board, the company already has a track record with expanding its footprint in the US. Since 2018, the company has invested more than $3bn into boosting US operations, creating more than 6,500 new jobs and bringing its total US headcount to nearly 19,000. This employee figure represents approximately 65% of CSL’s workforce.
US supply chains have been the name of the game in the pharma industry this year amid an onshoring manufacturing push by US President Donald Trump, fuelled by tariff outlays. Companies, both those based in the US and outside, have been investing into the country to avoid levies on pharmaceutical products.
Roche is planning $50bn worth of investment in the US while GSK has pledged $30bn to US research and development.
Johnson & Johnson is set to invest $55bn over the next four years. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly has been announcing the sites of four megaplants it intends to build in the US, as part of a $27bn drive.
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