AbbVie has commenced construction on a new $195 million active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility in North Chicago, Illinois, a strategic step in its plans to expand U.S. production capacity. The building, which will be utilized to support the company’s growing pipeline in immunology, oncology and neuroscience, is expected to be fully operational and supplying product to patients by 2027.
“Breaking ground on this facility is an important milestone in our strategy to advance innovation and biomanufacturing in the United States,” said Azita Saleki-Gerhardt, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief operations officer at AbbVie. She added that over the course of the next 10 years, AbbVie anticipates investing more than $10 billion in capital projects across the United States, including the addition of several new plants and expanding access to medicines for patients worldwide.
APIs are the active ingredients that give medicinal therapies their therapeutic value. Moreover, they are complex to manufacture and demand advanced expertise as well as specialized infrastructure. With this in mind, AbbVie’s new plant will expand the company’s chemical synthesis capacity. In addition, it will allow AbbVie to shift production of select APIs from Europe and Asia to the United States, thereby strengthening domestic supply for both current treatments and next-generation medicines.
AbbVie’s long-term commitment to Illinois
The investment underscores AbbVie’s long-term commitment to Illinois, where the company is headquartered and has more than 11,000 employees. Nationally, AbbVie has a workforce of 28,000 employees in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Its U.S. manufacturing network comprises 11 sites with more than 6,000 employees.
The project, which was first announced on August 12, 2025, will create new jobs in North Chicago while strengthening AbbVie’s status as one of the country’s leading biopharmaceutical manufacturers. By expanding its U.S. footprint, the company aims to develop a stronger supply chain and ensure the supply of innovative medications to millions of patients.
Domestic pharmaceutical production
Eli Lilly announced on September 23, 2025, that it will build a $6.5 billion active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facility at Generation Park in Houston, Texas. The new site will focus on small-molecule drugs, producing ingredients for the company’s upcoming oral GLP-1 obesity treatment, orforglipron, as well as therapies in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and cardiometabolic health. In addition, the project will generate roughly 4,000 construction jobs and over 600 permanent positions. By leveraging Houston’s strong chemical manufacturing base, highly skilled workforce, and strategic logistics hub, Lilly aims to accelerate production and strengthen the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain.
Together with AbbVie’s new North Chicago project, Lilly’s investment is among a wave of efforts to augment domestic pharmaceutical production. By expanding U.S. capacity for complex API production, these initiatives will strengthen supply chains, get innovative therapies to patients more quickly, and advance long-term national goals in healthcare innovation and resilience.
Project Factsheet: AbbVie North Chicago API Manufacturing Facility
Project Type: Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Manufacturing Facility
Location: North Chicago, Illinois
Investment Value: $195 million
Construction Start: September 29, 2025 (announced August 12, 2025)
Operational Date: 2027
Focus Areas: Immunology, Oncology, Neuroscience
Key Capability: Chemical synthesis and domestic API production, shifting select work from Europe and Asia to the U.S.
Jobs Impact: Supports AbbVie’s U.S. manufacturing footprint of over 6,000 jobs; additional roles to be created in North Chicago
National Presence: 11 U.S. manufacturing sites; 28,000 employees nationwide; 11,000 employees in Illinois
Long-term Strategy: Part of AbbVie’s $10 billion+ U.S. capital investment plan over the next decade
