A Belgian pharmaceutical company with its American base in Atlanta is teasing a transformative factory for biologics in the United States.
It’s yet unclear, however, how much of its suggested $5 billion impact will land in the metro area.
UCB, which unveiled a jazzed-up headquarters in Cobb County during Belgian Princess Astrid’s Atlanta trade mission in 2023, plans to create 300 new jobs in the U.S. (and 500 more during construction), but it has yet to reveal which shortlisted locale will ultimately cash in on the Belgian bonanza.
While its metro-Atlanta complex serves as the headquarters for the U.S., the city doesn’t have a lock on UCB’s activities in this market. UCB Biosciences is located in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, and the company operates six other offices around the country.
What is clear from the company is that its U.S. business has grown dramatically, to the point where new manufacturing capacity is needed to serve clients, and local production will help reduce supply constraints. UCB, which specializes in crafting molecules for treating epilepsy and other conditions, has landed 15 new FDA approvals since 2017, with eight coming in the last two years. Since that year, U.S. employment has grown by 73 percent to about 2,000, driven by $4.5 billion in acquisitions and other capital investments.
The convergence of tech and health was a central theme at the unveiling of the new Atlanta facility during the princess’s visit. Securing supply chains and meeting market needs seems to be the motivation for the new plans.
“This investment reflects our growing impact in the U.S. and our ambition to bring our forthcoming pipeline to patients around the world,” CEO Jean-Christophe Tellier said in a news release. “By expanding our biologics manufacturing footprint, we’re not only reinforcing our global supply chain—we’re also contributing to the vitality of biomedical innovation, high-skilled jobs, and long-term economic impact in the U.S.”
The investment was announced the same week Delta Air Lines relaunched a nonstop flight to Belgium, underscoring the strong commercial links between the European country and Georgia, which boasts perhaps more Belgian-invested companies (50-plus) than any other state.
Learn more in the UCB news release.
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