Bayer Pharmaceutical announced plans to build a cutting edge manufacturing facility on 200 acres in New Albany, its first-ever processing and manufacturing operation in North America.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced the news Oct. 2, describing it as "Ohio's largest international healthcare project" and Germany's largest direct investment in Ohio history.
The company plans to spend $2.2 billion, creating 1,500 construction jobs and 600 high-paying fulltime jobs
"The plant will develop the chemical building blocks, compounds that make up Bayer medicines and improve lives all over the world," DeWine said.
The announcement was to be made at the site of the future Ohio Life Science Training Center, a $30 million building expected to open in 2027 and intended
to foster the region's growing biotech workforce as it fights to compete on the global industry stage.
"We think it was one of the things that appealed to Bayer," DeWine said of the public-private financing including JobsOhio and the Ohio Life Sciences Association that helped create the center in the New Albany International Business Park. "We think it is unique. We think it is something that will continue to attract companies to Ohio."
Bayer's operation will be a "modular, flexible" manufacturing campus, Sebastian Guth, Bayer's global chief operating officer told The Dispatch prior to the Oct. 2 announcement. Ohio was chosen over several other states for its proximity to seven major research universities, along with hospital systems and the state's highly educated workforce.
DeWine said Bayer's move "reinforces Ohio's dominance in life sciences and bio-manufacturing."
Guth said a Bayer goal is "bringing manufacturing closer to the patients we serve ... health for all and hunger for none."
Those goals, he said, require "a resilient, modern manufacturing network capable of supplying these therapies efficiently, reliably and at scale." Medications would include those for oncology, cardiovascular disease and renal care among others. Substances needed for drugs would also be produced.
Guth called Ohio "the largest and fastest-growing pharmaceutical market" and said that choosing New Albany with its training center "reflects a thoughtful deliberate and intentional strategy to build an innovation ecosystem that attracts companies such as ours."
DeWine said the training center "is one of the great assets that Ohio has today" and likely will encourage other biotech firms to follow Bayer and locate here."
Eddie Pauline, president and CEO of the life science association, said several other pharma companies wanted to move to or expand in Ohio but backed out previously. "The feedback from the deals that we lost was 'Where is your training center?' "
Bayer is the world's 25th largest pharma company, with a market capitalization of about $50 billion.
Construction will start by mid-2027, with manufacturing to begin by 2031, Guth said.
DeWine said that unspecified job creation tax credits will be offered, along with grants from the Ohio Department of Development and JobsOhio assistance, once final agreements are executed.
Jobs will average "well over $100,000," DeWine said. "To be able to fill these jobs ... the emphasis has to be on our young people."
Asked about high pharmaceutical prices, tariffs and supply chain issues, Guth told The Dispatch "We clearly expect this to be among the most modern state-of-the-art facilities once opened.
"We also expect this to be a highly efficient plant so that it will produce medicines competitively."
The facility will be located south of Route 161 near Beach Road along Ganton Parkway, an area surrounded by data centers and other biotech firms. Guth said that the location contributed to the decision to build here, but he said tapping into artificial intelligence capabilities were not specifically sought.
Sen. Jon Husted told The Dispatch that Bayer's move "helps reduce our dependence on China for critical pharmaceutics. And it's great for Ohio because it's another major win for our growing biotech sector, creating more high-paying jobs at home."
Jonas Peterson, chief economic development officer and president of One Columbus, said Ohio "provides exceptional access to major North American markets, while our talent has the depth to support the sophisticated work driving the future of medicine. Bayer is joining a region with real momentum in life sciences, and the capacity and ambition to lead what comes next.”
Growth and development reporter Dean Narciso can be reached at dnarciso@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Biotech giant Bayer to invest $2.2 billion in New Albany pharma plant
