Kyowa Kirin has selected Lee County to build its first North American pharmaceutical manufacturing operation, creating 102 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced recently. The company will invest $200 million to establish a biologics manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Sanford, US.

In October of 2023, the Governor met with Kyowa Kirin during his participation in the annual Southeastern United States/Japan (SEUS/Japan) Economic Development Conference in Tokyo. Since the Governor’s participation at the Conference in Tokyo, Kyowa Kirin is the third Japanese company to select North Carolina for its operations.

Kyowa Kirin is a Japan-based global specialty pharmaceutical company, focused on the discovery and delivery of medicines with life-changing value. The company is planning to purchase land in the new Helix Innovation Park for a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to support the production and supply of targeted clinical and commercial biologic therapies.

The new Sanford facility will become part of Kyowa Kirin’s global manufacturing network, which the company is investing in to increase global capacity, create more resilient and efficient supply lines, and produce the drug supply needed for planned clinical trials and future product launches. Kyowa Kirin expects to complete the project in four years.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the state’s support for the company during its site evaluation and decision-making process.

Kyowa Kirin’s project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) awarded to Kyowa Kirin North America Manufacturing, LLC, which was approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $1.05 billion.