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GSK plans to expand its biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Upper Merion Township, Pa., with construction slated to begin in 2027.
Following the demolition of the existing buildings, plans call for a commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facility, an R&D pilot plant, a centralized quality control laboratory and a manufacturing science and technology center.
Company officials say the expanded campus should be fully operational by 2030 and create more than 300 permanent jobs within five years.
GSK expected construction of its Upper Merion biologics “flex” factory to begin in 2026 when it announced the project in 2025; the latest plan marks the start in 2027.
Upper Merion’s investment and GSK’s separate $800 million Marietta manufacturing project total nearly $1.7 billion in Pennsylvania.
GSK detailed plans on Oct. 9 for a more than $800 million expansion of its biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Upper Merion Township, Pa., with construction scheduled to begin in 2027.
Demolition of the existing buildings will make way for a commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facility that can support clinical and commercial drug production, state officials said. Plans also include a co-located research and development pilot plant, a centralized quality control laboratory and a manufacturing science and technology center.
Company officials said the expanded campus should be fully operational by 2030 and create more than 300 permanent jobs within five years.
Plans for the biologics factory date back to September 2025, when GSK included the project in $1.2 billion of US manufacturing and technology investments. At the time, the company expected construction on the Upper Merion “flex” factory to begin in 2026; the latest announcement puts the start at 2027.
“We’re going to need about 300, or north of 300, new full-time GSK employees to run this state-of-the-art facility, and that doesn’t include all the trades we need to build this actual plant,” John Jewett, GSK Upper Merion site manager, told KYW Newsradio.
Commercial production, research and development, and advanced digital capabilities are planned together at the Upper Merion campus. The previously announced flexible factory is designed to support potential drugs targeting respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, as well as various forms of cancer.
“Investing in additional R&D and commercial manufacturing with advanced digital capabilities at our Upper Merion site will help accelerate the development and delivery of future medicines to patients,” said GSK Global Supply Chain President Regis Simard.
Biopharmaceutical manufacturing in Upper Merion dates back to 1996, when GSK built the existing facilities for cell culture-based production. GSK began repurposing existing space there in 2017 and announced a $120 million modernization in 2019 that incorporated flexible manufacturing technology and a new analytical laboratory.
Another major GSK manufacturing project is already underway about 75 miles to the west in Marietta, Pennsylvania. Construction began there in 2024 on an $800 million facility designed to double the site’s size and capacity. GSK said last year that its new investments in US manufacturing would create construction jobs and permanent positions.
Combined, Upper Merion and Marietta’s investments total nearly $1.7 billion in Pennsylvania.
