Listen to this article

The basics:

• Johnson & Johnson to build $2B biologics factory in Holly Springs, N.C.
• Project will create about 120 new jobs at a 160,000 sq.-ft.-site
• Part of J&J’s $55B commitment to U.S. manufacturing and R&D
• Expansion comes as pharma giants boost domestic facilities amid tariff threats

Amid an effort to boost its U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities, Johnson & Johnson is building another $2 billion factory in North Carolina.

In an Aug. 21 news release, the New Brunswick-based health care giant said it will expand its presence in the Tar Heel State with a 160,000-square-foot facility at Fujifilm‘s biopharmaceutical site in Holly Springs. According to J&J, the 10-year investment will create approximately 120 new jobs for the region.

The move comes as part of J&J’s pledge in March to put more than $55 billion over the next four years toward domestic research & development, technology and manufacturing.

That commitment includes a $2 billion biologics manufacturing site in Wilson, N.C., that seeks to expand the company’s capacity to produce next-generation medicines for cancer, immune-mediated and neurological diseases. According to J&J, that location will employ more than 500 people.

With nearly two dozen outposts across the country, J&J has the biggest footprint in the U.S. when it comes to pharmaceutical manufacturing.

By 2029, the company expects to develop three new advanced manufacturing facilities and expand several existing sites across its innovative medicine and medtech businesses. J&J said it expects to announce additional U.S. facilities and expansions of current sites in coming months, according to the latest press release.

Commenting on the campaign, J&J Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Joaquin Duato said, “Johnson & Johnson has more manufacturing facilities in the U.S. than in any other country, and we continue to strengthen our presence here. With the recent signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we continue to expand our investment in the U.S. to lead the next era of healthcare innovation.”

Expanding U.S. footprints

J&J joins a growing number of New Jersey pharma giants that announced multiyear investments aimed at strengthening their U.S. manufacturing footprints amid renewed threats of import tariffs on pharmaceuticals from the Trump administration:

• Morristown-based Sanofi promised to spend more than $20 billion;
• Rahway-headquartered Merck & Co. allocated $8 billion domestically by 2028;
• Novartis in East Hanover expects to allocate $23 billion

In Holly Springs, Fujifilm signed a separate $3 billion deal with New York’s Regeneron to manufacture and supply drug products at the same North Carolina biologics manufacturing plant over the next decade.

Though President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement in April excluded the industry, he has repeatedly threatened sector-specific duties and cited drugmakers’ reliance on production sites around the world to supply the U.S. market.

Earlier this month, Trump outlined plans for phased-in pharmaceutical tariffs that could start small and eventually reach 250%.