KANKAKEE, ILL. — CSL, a global pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Melbourne, Australia, has broken ground on a $1.5 billion expansion of its campus in Kankakee, roughly 60 miles southwest of Chicago. The company has operated at the site since purchasing the former Armour Pharmaceutical Co. plant in 2004, according to multiple media outlets.
CSL is developing a new 330,000-square-foot facility at the site that will generate 300 permanent jobs and 800 construction jobs, in addition to the 1,200 existing positions at the plant. The new investment builds on the $3 billion that CSL has invested in the United States since 2018, which has created more than 6,500 American jobs.
“Illinois is leading the way in life sciences manufacturing, and CSL’s $1.5 billion investment is a powerful vote of confidence in our state,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in a statement. “CSL’s continued growth in Kankakee County builds on decades of innovation and manufacturing leadership right here in Illinois. We’re proud to partner with CSL as they expand their footprint and deepen their commitment to communities across our state.”
The Kankakee campus is expected to supply 100 percent of the U.S. demand for immunoglobulin therapies (i.e., plasma-derived antibodies treatments), according to CSL. The factory will increase production capacity for CSL’s top immunoglobulin therapies, Privigen and Hizentra. For the first time, the company’s full manufacturing process — from plasma collection through filling and packing — will be completed entirely in the United States.
Plasma-derived therapies (PDTs) are used to treat rare conditions such as hemophilia, primary immunodeficiency and hereditary angioedema, as well as emergency and life-threatening conditions such as car accident injuries, burns and postpartum hemorrhage.
“Manufacturing PDTs is a lengthy and complex process, and maintaining reliable supply is an ongoing challenge,” says Jorey Berry, president and CEO of the Immune Deficiency Foundation. “Patients depend on meaningful investment from industry partners — and on policies that support, rather than hinder, that commitment. For the Immune Deficiency Foundation, this expansion in Kankakee is a powerful sign that patients’ hopes are truly being prioritized.”
CSL expects the new facility to be operational by 2031.
Founded in 1916, CSL operates three businesses: CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor. The firm provides lifesaving products to patients in more than 100 countries and employs more than 29,000 people, with 60 percent of the company’s global workforce in the United States.
— John Nelson