Belgium-based drugmaker UCB is committing $2 billion to build a biologics manufacturing complex on Atlanta’s northeastern edge, a move the company says will strengthen its U.S. footprint and expand domestic drug production. The plant is pitched as both a supply-chain bet and a local jobs driver — an investment with implications for patients, regional research hubs and Georgia’s life-sciences ambitions.
UCB’s chief executive framed the project as a long-term bet on growth in the United States, and company leaders emphasize the facility will improve reliability of essential treatments. An executive blog post from the company added that the new site is intended to keep pace with rising demand for biologic therapies and shorten delivery timelines for patients.
The facility, planned for a new research park in eastern Gwinnett County, is expected to employ about 330 people once fully operational. Design and construction are projected to take roughly six to seven years.
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Those jobs are expected to be relatively well-paid: county officials say average annual wages will exceed $72,000. Gwinnett County has offered about $174 million in local incentives — from property-tax relief to infrastructure work — to help land the project.
UCB already has a sizeable U.S. presence, with roughly 2,000 employees stateside, and has been expanding rapidly: the company reported a 26% revenue increase in 2025 to near $9 billion, while net income climbed about 46% to $1.81 billion.
UCB’s portfolio includes familiar allergy medicines it developed decades ago, and today the company concentrates on treatments for neurological and autoimmune conditions. Its current top-selling therapy, Bimzelx, treats several autoimmune disorders, including psoriasis and inflammatory arthritis.
The chosen site places the plant within driving distance of major academic centers — notably Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia — institutions that local leaders hope will feed a broader biomedical cluster. County boosters have described the new research park as an effort to cultivate a life-sciences hub that could one day rival established innovation corridors in the Southeast.
Beyond immediate economic effects, the project signals a broader industry trend: drugmakers are increasingly investing in onshore biologics capacity to reduce reliance on distant suppliers and to accelerate the delivery of complex medicines to U.S. patients. That has become a priority for companies and policymakers alike after pandemic-era supply disruptions.
Key facts at a glance:
- Investment: $2 billion to build a biologics manufacturing facility.
- Location: New research park, eastern Gwinnett County, Georgia.
- Jobs: About 330 positions at full operation; average salary above $72,000.
- Timeline: Design and construction expected to take 6–7 years.
- Local incentives: Gwinnett County committed roughly $174 million in tax breaks, fee waivers and infrastructure improvements.
- Company scale: ~2,000 U.S. employees; 2025 revenue near $9 billion.
State-level benefits could further reduce the project’s cost, including potential income tax credits, sales-tax exemptions for equipment purchases and publicly funded workforce training, company and state officials said. Those inducements are common for large-scale life-science investments, but they also raise questions for some local stakeholders about long-term returns on public incentives.
For Gwinnett County, the announcement is both an economic win and a strategic signal. Officials expect the plant to anchor additional research and supplier activity in the region; for UCB, the move strengthens its ability to manufacture biologics close to a major U.S. market.
How this plays out will depend on the multiyear construction schedule and whether the county and state incentives produce the intended ripple effects in hiring, supplier growth and university partnerships. In the near term, the announcement cements Georgia’s growing profile as a destination for pharmaceutical manufacturing and underscores industry momentum toward bolstering domestic production of complex medicines.
