Dive Brief:
- Bracco is investing $230 million to construct its first U.S. manufacturing facility for injectable contrast media, the company said last week.
- Bracco will build the facility in Sanford, North Carolina. The company expects to create 200 jobs and could receive a $2.9 million grant over 12 years.
- Adding U.S. production capacity could enhance the resilience of the supply chain, which failed to meet demand for iodinated contrast media during a pandemic-related lockdown in 2022.
Dive Insight:
Milan-based Bracco employs more than 4,000 people and has annual revenues of about 2 billion euros. The company operates in more than 100 countries and has manufacturing plants in Europe, Asia and Canada.
Bracco is building the North Carolina plant to expand production capacity and strengthen supply chain resilience in the U.S., its largest market. The plant will cut delivery times and transportation costs, the North Carolina Department of Commerce said.
Government officials in North Carolina estimate the Sanford plant could create an annual payroll impact of more than $20.6 million for the region and grow the state's economy by $1.78 billion over the course of the 12-year grant. The plant should be fully staffed by 2031, the Sanford Area Growth Alliance said.
Bracco’s portfolio includes non-iodinated injectable agents such as Vueway and ProHance for MRI scans, as well as iodinated products for CT imaging. The iodinated injectable agents were affected by the 2022 supply disruption, which stemmed from a COVID-19 lockdown that temporarily stopped production at GE HealthCare’s Shanghai plant.
