To enable U.S.-based production in support of its COVID-19 oral treatment, PAXLOVIDTM, Pfizer will expand operations at its facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The $120 million project is expected to create 250 jobs.

In addition, the company also plans to expand its Modular Aseptic Processing (MAP) sterile injectable pharmaceutical production facility in Kalamazoo.

“Pfizer’s Kalamazoo facility has been at the forefront of pharmaceutical manufacturing for more than 135 years through the legacy company Upjohn,” said Mike McDermott, Chief Global Supply Officer, Pfizer. “The Kalamazoo facility uses some of our most innovative manufacturing technology and has been essential in Pfizer’s fight against COVID-19, producing nearly one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine at the site to date. Through this expansion, we will continue to invest in the next generation of manufacturing and supply chain resilience.”

The investment will expand the production of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and registered starting materials (RSMs) used in the manufacture of nirmatrelvir, a novel main protease (Mpro) inhibitor originating in Pfizer’s laboratories, according to company officials. RSMs are the raw materials that are chemically converted into API, which is the active ingredient in a medicine.

“Pfizer’s continued investment in Michigan highlights the state’s leadership in life sciences and medical device manufacturing and our commitment to growing high-wage tech jobs to strengthen economic opportunity for Michiganders,” said MEDC CEO and Michigan Strategic Fund President and Chair Quentin Messer Jr. “We are grateful to Pfizer and this investment will sustain its presence in the Kalamazoo area for years to come. We are grateful for the bi-partisan leadership of Governor Whitmer and members of the Michigan Legislature.”

The proud home to 275 medical device and life sciences firms, Michigan is among the top ten in the nation for medical device manufacturing companies.