Last spring, ConnectCRE reported on Genentech’s plans to build a Raleigh-area factory. The company recently broke ground at the site at 4001 Friendship Road and expects to bring it online by 2029. Raleigh is about 20 miles northeast of Holly Springs. The project will add more than 400 high-wage manufacturing jobs when the site is operational and more than 1,500 construction jobs during site development.

The new facility will ultimately support Roche and Genentech’s future portfolio of next-generation obesity medicines and this initial investment could expand in the future based on business needs and the U.S. policy environment.

Commercial Edge reports that Genentech’s investment is part of its broader strategy to commit $50 billion in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics across the U.S. over the next five years. The biotech company is set to develop three new manufacturing facilities and one R&D center, and upgrade existing properties. Its current national footprint encompasses some 5 million square feet across 28 sites.