FUJIFILM Holdings Corp.

Johnson & Johnson's manufacturing pact with Fujifilm Biotechnologies, three Indian companies' drug recalls, and an eye disease deal between Santen Pharmaceutical and RemeGen made our news this week. Johnson & Johnson is spending part of its big U.S. investment at a Fujifilm Biotechnologies site. Three Indian drugmakers issued U.S. drug recalls in recent weeks due to impurities. Japan's Santen Pharma licensed a VEGF/FGF bispecific from RemeGen. And more.1. In US manufacturing push, J&J earmarks $2B for Fujifilm in 10-year deal in North CarolinaJohnson & Johnson has committed $2 billion over the next 10 years to secure a 160,000-plus-square-foot facility at Fujifilm Biotechnologies’ biomanufacturing campus in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The deal will create about 120 new jobs in the state, J&J said. The pact followed a $3 billion arrangement Fujifilm recently made with Regeneron.2. Alembic, Sun and Glenmark issue US drug recalls due to the presence of carcinogens or foreign matterThree Indian drugmakers—Alembic, Sun Pharma and Glenmark—have issued separate U.S. drug recalls in recent weeks. Alembic recalled 9,492 bottles of doxepin hydrochloride due to an impurity of the potential human carcinogen nitrosamine. In addition, Sun recalled 11,328 bottles of spironolactone due to the presence of aluminum, and Glenmark issued three recalls, including two covering carvedilols because of the presence of a nitrosamine.3. China's RemeGen sells Asia rights to VEGF/FGF eye drug in $180M dealJapanese eye disease specialist Santen Pharmaceutical is paying 250 million Chinese yuan ($34.8 million) for certain Asia rights to a VEGF/FGF fusion protein by China’s RemeGen. The drug, coded RC28-E, is already in phase 3 development in diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration. The deal could eventually be worth about $180 million.4. GC’s Made Scientific opens cell therapy facility in New Jersey (release)Made Scientific, a U.S.-based cell therapy CDMO subsidiary of Korea’s GC Holdings, has opened its 60,000-square-foot facility and headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. The opening marked the completion of a $12 million initial investment in the site. The company plans to add 12,000 square feet in additional clean room space to support late-stage and commercial programs.

Pharma companies have pledged at least $292 billion to expand their US production footprints since early this year, as Johnson & Johnson added detail on how it will spend part of its multibillion-dollar promise it made in March. Companies have been making an effort to reshore their manufacturing to the US since President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on pharma goods. These expansion budgets are spread out over several years by as much as a decade. Some of it may not come to fruition, and others’ pledges include ones from previously announced plans that predate Trump’s return to office. Johnson & Johnson said Thursday that $2 billion is allocated for a new factory in Holly Springs, NC. The 160,000 square-foot factory will be at Fujifilm’s new biopharmaceutical manufacturing site and will create around 120 new jobs. This $2 billion budget will be made over the next decade. J&J said it will share further plans for new builds and other expansions in the US in the coming months. The pharma company is continuing to work on building a biologics site in Wilson, NC , which was announced in October 2024. Trump has been using the threat of pharma tariffs as an incentive for companies to move drug production to the US. His most recent comments in early August warn these levies could arrive in “the next week or so,” but they have yet to show up. Meanwhile, Trump has revealed more details on his “most favored nation” policy on Thursday, which will tax generic pharma goods from the EU, as a part of the US-EU trade deal. Trump recently ordered health officials to create a six-month stockpile for APIs for 26 “critical” drugs.

J&J will use a 160,000ft² manufacturing facility at Fujifilm’s new manufacturing hub in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Credit: PixelBiss via Shutterstock.com. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will invest $2bn into a new drug manufacturing facility in North Carolina, US, as the pharma giant begins to outline how it will spread a $55bn pot announced earlier this year to boost domestic manufacturing. The investment arrives via a ten-year deal with contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Fujifilm Biotechnologies. The drugmaker has outlaid more than $2bn over the period for a 160,000ft² manufacturing facility at Fujifilm’s new manufacturing hub in Holly Springs, North Carolina. J&J did not reveal what it would use the new facility for and provided little information on timelines, although Fujifilm has said separately that the Holly Springs hub will operate on large-scale cell culture manufacturing of bulk drug substances. Fujifilm hopes for the hub to become operational in 2025 and has so far injected $3.2bn into the site. Regeneron is also set to become an incumbent of the hub, agreeing a $3bn deal – similarly lasting ten years – with Fujifilm in April 2025. In March 2025, J&J announced it would invest $55bn to bolster US manufacturing operations. This strategy, which includes the building of four new manufacturing sites, comes amid an ongoing push by US President Donald Trump for the country to become less reliant on pharmaceutical imports from overseas countries. GlobalData Strategic Intelligence US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate? Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis. By GlobalData Learn more about Strategic Intelligence A main way to accomplish this is via increased onshoring of drug manufacturing, and J&J has become just one of many pharma companies to redirect investment amid tariff-mediated pressure from the president. Roche outlaid a similar amount to J&J, planning $50bn worth of investment in the US. Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca have also committed to billion-dollar spending to bolster manufacturing in the US. J&J has plans beyond just the Holly Springs facility, saying it will share “plans for advanced manufacturing facilities in the US, as well as the expansion of current US manufacturing” in the coming months. The drugmaker has already started constructing a facility in Wilson, around 85km east of Holly Springs, North Carolina. The site, which will manufacture biologics, was announced by J&J with a $2bn investment in October 2024. J&J’s CEO Joaquin Duato said: “J&J has more manufacturing facilities in the US 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 US to lead the next era of healthcare innovation.” Pharmaceutical Technology Excellence Awards - The Benefits of Entering Gain the recognition you deserve! The Pharmaceutical Technology Excellence Awards celebrate innovation, leadership, and impact. By entering, you showcase your achievements, elevate your industry profile, and position yourself among top leaders driving pharmaceutical advancements. Don’t miss your chance to stand out—submit your entry today! Nominate Now