AstraZeneca has opened an expanded manufacturing facility in Coppell, Texas, following a $445m investment aimed at meeting growing global demand for its hyperkalaemia therapy, Lokelma (sodium zirconium cyclosilicate).
The near half-billion-dollar expansion adds a new 9,000ft² building equipped with two production lines to AstraZeneca’s existing site. The investment also covers upgraded laboratory testing for both drug substance and product, as well as expanded warehousing and administrative areas. With these upgrades, AstraZeneca expects Lokelma production capacity to double.
Lokelma, an oral suspension used to reduce elevated potassium levels in the blood, received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018. The therapy entered AstraZeneca’s portfolio in 2015 following the company’s $2.7bn acquisition of ZS Pharma.
The Coppell facility, employing more than 250 staff, remains the sole global supply hub for Lokelma, serving over 50 countries including the US. “Our manufacturing facility in Coppell serves as both a critical pillar in global healthcare and has played an important role in supporting the local workforce over the past 10 years. The expansion underscores our commitment to patients and support for Texas’ long-term vision for scientific growth and innovation,” said Jim Fox, AstraZeneca’s senior vice president of Americas Supply Operations.
The $445m expansion follows the company’s recent start on a $4.5bn active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing site in Virginia. Together, the Coppell and Virginia projects form part of AstraZeneca’s broader $50bn investment plan to strengthen its US manufacturing base by 2030.
Reducing dependence on imported pharmaceutical products remains a major US policy goal. In May, the Trump administration issued an executive order to expedite approvals for domestic drug production sites, with the FDA set to roll out a streamlined facility approval scheme by August 2025.
AstraZeneca is one of several big pharmaceutical companies stepping up manufacturing efforts in the US. Roche has pledged $50bn for new and expanded sites that will add more than 1,000 jobs, while GSK plans to invest $30bn in the country over the next five years.
