After allocating billions to build facilities in Virginia, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Merck have pledged $40 million each to help develop a manufacturing training center there.
The three drugmakers
signed
a memorandum of understanding that shows their support for a drug substance and product manufacturing training center in Virginia. Around 2,000 to 2,500 professionals will be trained per year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a Friday release.
The drugmakers have been invited to provide training programs to run at the center, and the state of Virginia is calling for other pharma companies to participate in the new facility. The three companies’ MOU is with the state of Virginia, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, and a handful of local universities.
AstraZeneca, Lilly and Merck have invested at least $12.5 billion into Virginia’s manufacturing footprint in recent months. Last month, AstraZeneca committed
$4.5 billion
for a new active pharmaceutical ingredient facility in Albemarle County, VA. Merck also started construction for a
$3 billion
facility in Elkton
,
VA
.
In September, Lilly earmarked
$5 billion
to build an API factory in Richmond, VA.