Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has unveiled plans to invest £275 million at manufacturing sites in England and Scotland.

The major development programme aims to boost production and support delivery of the company's respiratory and large molecule biological medicines.

The firm will invest around £110m to develop a new modern manufacturing facility at Montrose in Angus, Scotland. The new plant will manufacture respiratory active ingredients.


In addition, £92m will go towards building an aseptic sterile facility at Barnard Castle in County Durham. The project is to support the manufacture of existing and new biopharmaceutical assets.

GSK is also planning to invest £74m to expand its new Ellipta respiratory inhaler at Ware in Hertfordshire, which will increase manufacturing capacity at the site.

Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer at GSK, said: "Today's announcement reflects further investment to support our pharmaceutical pipeline and meet growing demand for our innovative portfolio of newly launched products. It is testament to our skilled UK workforce and the country's leading position in life sciences that we are making these investments in advanced manufacturing here. From their manufacture in the UK, many of these medicines will be sent to patients around the world."

(LM/MH)