AstraZeneca announces $4.5 billion pharmaceutical plant in Albemarle County

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday, October 9, the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will build its largest plant in the world in Albemarle County, representing a $4.5 billion investment that will bring hundreds of jobs to the area.

The facility will be located on hundreds of acres near Hollymead that Albemarle County purchased two years ago, hoping to attract a major developer. The plant will focus on developing weight-loss and cancer drugs and promises to bring 600 permanent jobs to the Route 29 corridor in northern Albemarle County, plus another 3,000 construction jobs.

“AstraZeneca’s announcement I think is a testament to the work we’ve done these past four years, but also the future of Albemarle County and Virginia,” Governor Youngkin said.

The announcement brought together state, local and federal leaders to celebrate the development.

The partnership between UK-based AstraZeneca and Virginia began during an unrelated trip Youngkin took to England this spring.

“I found myself in the office with [AstraZeneca CEO] Pascal [Soriot] with both teams, talking about coming to United States. It was serendipitous but also well planned,” Youngkin said.

Soriot said the location offers strategic advantages for the pharmaceutical company.

“The location is, for us at least, really fantastic because first all you have, academic centers, hospitals around that we can work with,” Soriot said.

The collaboration involved multiple levels of government, from the White House to the Albemarle County government, according to Fifth District Congressman John McGuire.

“Local, state, federal level, everyone is working together to get this done. I think it’s great for our country, it’s great for Virginia, it’s great for Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District,” McGuire said.

Youngkin credited the Trump administration’s support for encouraging companies to invest in America.

“With President Trump’s support, we’re seeing a lot of companies come to America, and it’s giving us an even deeper pool to recruit to come to America,” Youngkin said.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, emphasized the importance of manufacturing pharmaceuticals on American soil to lower costs for consumers.

“It’s massively important that we onshore pharmaceuticals to this country. The average American right now goes to the grocery store or goes to pharmacy and they got to make a choice. Do they buy groceries for the kids, or lifesaving medication for my family?” Oz said.

The plant will help address those cost concerns, Oz said.

“This is a critical discussion point, and AstraZeneca can be part of the solution,” he said.

Soriot said the plant will be completed around 2030, but the company will start hiring people in just a couple of years. AstraZeneca already has plans to collaborate with research being conducted at the University of Virginia.

Youngkin hopes the investment will put Central Virginia on the map as a pharmaceutical hub.

“Virginia has to compete,” Youngkin said, “and when we compete, we win.”

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