(The Center Square) – Drug products for oncology and neurological diseases will be manufactured in a second facility Johnson & Johnson plans to open in eastern North Carolina.
Nearly $80 million in incentives brought the first plant to Wilson County in an Oct. 1, 2024, announcement. Exact figures for the second facility are to be determined.
The health care company said it’s a multi-billion dollars investment expected to add 500 jobs to the more than 400 already announced.
This comes on top of an August announcement of a $2 billion investment in Holly Springs. Johnson & Johnson in 2025 said it would invest $55 billion into American manufacturing, research and development and technology over a four-year period.
“We are pleased to make another significant manufacturing investment in North Carolina,” said Jennifer Taubert, executive vice president and worldwide chairwoman for Innovative Medicine at Johnson & Johnson. “This new facility is the third North Carolina project announced by Johnson & Johnson in the past year and will help to further accelerate the delivery of our portfolio of transformational medicines for patients. North Carolina is an important life sciences hub, and we look forward to increasing our presence in the state.”
Wilson Community College’s new biotechnology workforce training center is a pivotal piece in the deal coming together. The learning facility known as the Biomanufacturing Education and Skills Training Center of Eastern North Carolina – BEST Center of Eastern North Carolina – is to get a $12 million appropriation from the General Assembly, back ending a $30 million appropriation from the 2023 state budget.
First-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein said the life sciences industry is choosing North Carolina because the workforce and commitment to specialized training are a match.
The specific site for the new facility in Wilson County has not been announced. A local public hearing on the incentives package is expected soon.
