Biopharmaceutical manufacturer GSK will invest more than $800 million to expand its operations in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, according to a recent announcement from Gov. Josh Shapiro and the commonwealth’s economic development agency.
Construction is planned to begin in 2027 on the project, which will establish a biopharmaceutical innovation and manufacturing hub, integrating commercial production, research and development, and advanced digital capabilities in a single site. The project will create more than 300 jobs and continue growing Pennsylvania’s life sciences industry.
This announcement marks GSK’s second major expansion in Pennsylvania since 2024, previously investing $800 million to increase its research and development and manufacturing footprint at its existing facility in Lancaster County.
“GSK could have chosen anywhere in the world to expand production, but once again, they chose to renew and deepen their commitment to both the commonwealth and our workers,” Shapiro said in a statement earlier this month. “When companies like GSK double down on their commitment to Pennsylvania, we create more opportunities across the Commonwealth, spur meaningful economic growth, and support our skilled workforce.”
Tax incentives and economic development grants offered by the commonwealth have also brought other major pharmaceutical companies to Pennsylvania this year. Indiana-based Eli Lilly, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson, and others have also announced investments in Pennsylvania this year as part of their multibillion-dollar U.S. expansion plans.
Eli Lilly is investing $3.5 billion to build its very first manufacturing facility in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, which is expected to create at least 850 permanent, high-value jobs for scientists, engineers, and technicians, as well as an estimated 2,000 regional construction jobs.
Johnson & Johnson is making a $1 billion investment in a next generation cell therapy manufacturing facility in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, that will provide thousands of construction jobs and 500 skilled biomanufacturing jobs.
GSK, formerly known as Glaxo Smith Kline, maintains a global headquarters in London and has its primary U.S. corporate hubs in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. GSK used to have major divisional headquarters in Morris County and later Warren County, New Jersey that it no longer owns after spinning off its U.S. Consumer Healthcare division. That division became an independent, publicly traded company called Haleon in 2022.