Piramal Pharma to Invest $90 Million at Kentucky & Michigan Sites

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Responding to what it called a trend toward United States onshoring of drug supply, Mumbai-based Piramal Pharma announced an investment plan worth $90 million, developed in conjunction with the 2025 SelectUSA Investment Summit, earmarked for two of its US facilities, in Lexington, Ky. and Riverview, Mich. (1).

In a press release on May 12, 2025, Piramal Pharma said other reasons for the planned brownfield expansions of the existing sites are ongoing demand from US customers and the company’s own belief in the benefits of US-based expansion (1).

The press release recapped the details of the expansion of the Kentucky site, which was previously announced in September 2024, and accounts for $80 million of the $90 million in the May 12 announcement (2). Piramal said the site will be adding 24,000 square feet of manufacturing space, a new laboratory, and state-of-the-art equipment—including a new filling line, two commercial-sized lyophilizers, a capping machine, and an external vial washer (2). The company said it expects these updates to be completed and online in late 2027.

In Michigan, where the Riverview site has become known for its development and manufacturing of APIs, including those that are highly potent, a commercial-scale suite will be added for the development and manufacturing of payload-linkers, which are used in development of antibody-drug conjugates and other bioconjugate drugs (1). This suite is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.

“Since its inception, Piramal Pharma Limited has invested $570 million in its US drug development and manufacturing capabilities,” said Peter DeYoung, chief executive officer, Global Pharma, in the press release (1). “The US is our largest market, where we currently employ approximately 750 people. Expanding the capacities and offerings in these two plants in the US, along with the prior major investments made in our Sellersville, Pa. drug product facility, and our inhalation anesthesia drug substance and drug product facility in Bethlehem, Pa., will support our customers who value our offerings in an onshore setting.”

The announcement of the $90 million investment in the US comes amid sweeping changes in tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump’s administration, and one week after Trump signed an executive order directing FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce certain regulatory barriers, including urging the EPA to accelerate construction of prescription drug manufacturing sites (3). After that executive order was announced on May 5, FDA said on May 6 that it intended to expand unannounced inspections at foreign manufacturing facilities (4).

Pharmaceutical Technology® Group’s “Behind the Headlines” video series has been taking a look at US reshoring for several months, since the Trump administration began to roll out its tariff policies shortly into the new presidential term. Access all episodes of “Behind the Headlines,” in their entirety, to learn more.

References

1. Piramal Pharma. Piramal Pharma Ltd. Continues to Invest In USA; $90M in Expansions of Two US Sites. Press Release. May 12, 2025.
2. Piramal Pharma Solutions. Piramal Pharma Solutions Announces $80M Expansion Plan for Sterile Injectables Facility in Lexington, Kentucky. Press Release. Sept. 30, 2024.
3. The White House. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Actions to Reduce Regulatory Barriers to Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. WhiteHouse.gov, May 7, 2025.
4. FDA. FDA Announces Expanded Use of Unannounced Inspections at Foreign Manufacturing Facilities. Press Release. May 6, 2025.