GSK will invest more than $800 million over the next five years to expand its Upper Merion site in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, into a biopharmaceutical manufacturing and research hub, the office of Governor Josh Shapiro announced October 9. The project is expected to create more than 300 new jobs and retain about 4,500 existing full-time jobs in the state.
The expansion will combine drug manufacturing, research and development, quality testing and digital operations on one campus. GSK said construction is planned to begin in 2027, and the site will include a new commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facility, a research pilot plant and a centralized quality-control laboratory, supporting both clinical and commercial production of biologic medicines. Pennsylvania officials said GSK will be eligible for state manufacturing tax incentives tied to the investment.
The pledge lands alongside GSK’s previously announced project at its Lancaster County (Marietta) site, and together the two represent nearly $1.7 billion of planned investment in Pennsylvania, according to state officials. The Marietta expansion, unveiled in October 2024, added up to $800 million to double the size and capacity of production there with two new facilities, expected to add around 200 jobs once complete, with a drug substance facility targeted for late 2027 and a drug product facility in 2028.
The timing fits the industry’s broader reshoring push under tariff pressure, as major pharma names pair new US capital commitments with the reshaping of their domestic supply chains. GSK, whose US headquarters is in Philadelphia, is framing Upper Merion as its US biologics engine: the site’s leadership describes the Next Generation Flex Factory as focused on delivering future respiratory and cancer medicines for the US and global markets.