The basics:

• BMS will invest $2.3B in 600,000-square-foot manufacturing campus in Houston
• Facility expected to create 500 skilled jobs
• Construction slated to run from 2027 through 2030
• Project part of BMS’ $40B US manufacturing push

Amid an effort to boost its U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities, Bristol Myers Squibb is building a state-of-the-art $2.3 billion facility in Texas that will focus on delivering next-generation medicines.

The Lawrenceville-based pharmaceutical company announced in an Aug. 10 news release that it it will begin construction next year. The 600,000-square-foot campus is “designed for flexibility and long-term growth.”

As a multimodal campus, the site will be capable of producing multiple types of medicines across a range of disease areas. Additionally, the architecture will allow the facility to add and reconfigure manufacturing capacity to reflect the current and future pipeline, the company said.

According to BMS, the facility will initially create 500 skilled jobs. Those roles will span operations technicians, production specialists, maintenance and engineering professionals, quality control and assurance experts, site leadership and administration, the company says. As the campus grows in scale and capability, the company expects to increase its local workforce.

BMS also anticipates 2,000 construction and other indirect jobs while the facility is being built. Construction is scheduled to run from 2027 through 2030.

Choosing Texas

BMS’ Texas move comes as part of its $40 billion pledge to expand domestic manufacturing, research and technology by 2030.

BMS Chief Executive Officer and board Chair Christopher Boerner touted the investment as a reflection of “our confidence in America’s continued leadership in biopharmaceutical innovation.”

“We’re building the domestic manufacturing capabilities needed to deliver the next generation of medicines and support future scientific breakthroughs,” he said, adding, “Houston and the state of Texas offer the talent, infrastructure and partnership needed to help bring that vision to life.”

BMS Chief Supply Chain and Operations Officer Karin Shanahan said the decision to build the new campus in Texas “reflects our confidence in the region’s ability to support a world-class, digitally advanced supply operation.

“This facility is designed to deliver the speed, quality, and reliability that patients depend on, combining flexible, modular manufacturing with advanced digital capabilities to ensure consistent supply across multiple modalities. It strengthens our ability to operate with resilience and positions us to reliably deliver medicines to patients today while adapting future demands,” she explained.

BMS’ other commitments in Texas include working with a contractor on both commercial and clinical trial manufacturing. In 2025, BMS said it had 250 clinical trial sites statewide to advance clinical research efforts.

Texas’ life sciences manufacturing base already includes operations from Pfizer, Galderma and AstraZeneca. New Jersey’s Johnson & Johnson and Merck have also long had a presence in the Lone Star State.

An emerging biotech ecosystem

According to Reuters, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state offered BMS a $4.89 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant. The Republican governor also said the project qualified for benefits under the state’s Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation program.

“This $2.3 billion investment by Bristol Myers Squibb in the dynamic biotech ecosystem in Houston is a testament to the depth of our skilled workforce and the pipeline of talent coming through our nation-leading technical colleges and research universities. With lower operating costs and easy access to markets across the U.S. and the world, Texas drives affordability for consumers,” Abbott said in a statement.

BMS said it selected Generation Park in Houston “following an extensive, competitive evaluation of multiple markets in the Central and Eastern U.S.”

We’re building the domestic manufacturing capabilities needed to deliver the next generation of medicines and support future scientific breakthroughs.
—Christopher Boerner, CEO and board chair, BMS

Key factors in the decision included “the emerging strength of the local workforce in life sciences, available incentives, proximity to utilities and transportation infrastructure and an overall business climate conducive to long-term growth,” the company said.

Located in Northeast Houston, Generation Park is a 4,300-acre master-planned development. The complex combines life sciences, manufacturing, logistics, offices, education, housing, restaurants and parks. Eli Lilly announced last year it will invest more than $6.5 billion to build a facility at Generation Park. That project will make active pharmaceutical ingredients for small-molecule medicines.

And BMS isn’t the only New Jersey corporation turning to Texas lately.

Samsung Electronics America is relocating its U.S. headquarters from Englewood Cliffs to Plano. The company said it is consolidating operations at an existing Texas campus as part of a broader business transformation. ExxonMobil also recently decided to move its state of incorporation from New Jersey to Texas. The oil and gas giant has spent several years shifting leadership, workforce and R&D operations there.

A big deal

BMS is among more than a dozen American drugmakers to reach deals with the White House. The pacts lower prescription drug costs in exchange from an exemption from U.S. pharmaceutical tariffs.

Since calling on the industry last summer to voluntarily reduce costs, President Donald Trump said he has secured agreements with 14 companies. The effort aims to cut medicine prices for the government’s Medicaid program and for cash-paying consumers.

Those pharma giants have also unveiled billions of dollars aimed at boosting domestic capabilities amid pressure from the Trump administration. Investments from New Jersey drugmakers include:

• $20 billion from Sanofi
• $70 billion from Merck
• $10 billion from Novo Nordisk
• $55 billion from Johnson & Johnson
• $23 billion from Novartis

Following BMS’ announcement this week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick stated, “Bristol Myers Squibb’s $2.3 billion investment in Texas will create hundreds of high-paying jobs and strengthen our pharmaceutical supply chains, ensuring America is never reliant on foreign sources for critical medicines.”