Boris pays a visit to Astra-Zeneca

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, saw a major investment of £380 million by AstraZeneca in its Macclesfield Medicines Manufacturing and Development campus during a visit to the site on Tuesday 6^th April. 

The investment covers new advanced medicines manufacturing and packing facilities at the campus for oncology therapy Zoladex, and a new Global Medicines Packaging Centre which ships more than 50 medicines to 130 countries. The campus is a critical part of the company’s global operations and the new investment helps boost manufacturing on site and the work of its highly skilled team, and is a huge vote of confidence in the local economy.

Macclesfield’s MP, David Rutley, joined the Prime Minister during the visit during which Boris recognised its vital role in developing and rolling out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. His visit also highlighted the work that the company does in researching and treating many other serious medical conditions and A-Z’s importance in the UK’s growing life sciences sector.

AstraZeneca’s Macclesfield campus is the largest pharmaceuticals manufacturing site in the United Kingdom. It is home to a team of almost 4,000 highly skilled staff who are not only involved in value-added advanced manufacturing of medical treatments, including the prostate cancer therapy Zoladex, but also packing, logistics and the development of new medical treatments. The site also makes a major contribution to AstraZeneca’s and the UK’s export performance.

After the Prime Minister’s visit, David said, “Locally, we are all very proud of the many people that work at the site and for the contribution that they make to improving the lives of millions of patients around the world. The campus is the jewel in the crown of our local economy and plays a vital role in the Cheshire Science Corridor. I am very grateful to the Prime Minister for recognising the team’s important work and this major investment during his visit today.”