Bracco plans to invest $230 million in a sterile manufacturing plant in Sanford, North Carolina, its first U.S. facility for injectable contrast media. The project is expected to create 200 jobs and bring production closer to hospitals in the company’s largest market.
The Milan-based diagnostic imaging company announced the investment Oct. 27. Its existing manufacturing network spans Europe, Asia and Canada, with the proposed U.S. site adding another production location.
The expansion targets the supply of agents used during diagnostic imaging, rather than scanners themselves. North Carolina officials expect local manufacturing to shorten delivery times and reduce transportation costs.
Bracco plant qualifies for performance-based incentives.
North Carolina has approved a Job Development Investment Grant for Bracco Imaging Operations USA LLC. The agreement allows potential reimbursements of up to $2,859,300 over 12 years, according to the state’s Commerce Department.
Payments depend on annual verification that the company has met investment and job-creation targets. The grant is therefore a conditional incentive, rather than an upfront payment of the full amount.
The state projects an annual payroll impact exceeding $20.6 million and an economic contribution of $1.78 billion over the grant period. Both figures are estimates tied to the proposed development.
Announced hiring will cover several parts of the operation:
-
Manufacturing and engineering.
-
Technical and support operations.
-
Quality and warehousing.
-
Administrative functions.
The Sanford Area Growth Alliance expects the facility to be fully staffed by 2031. That staffing target does not establish when commercial production will begin.
Local officials said Sanford competed with other U.S. and international locations for the project. They cited the area’s pharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, training programs and existing healthcare manufacturers as factors in the selection.
Contrast supply remains a concern after the 2022 shortage
The investment comes several years after a disruption exposed the vulnerability of iodinated contrast supplies. In 2022, a COVID-19 lockdown interrupted production at GE HealthCare’s Shanghai plant, contributing to shortages that affected imaging services.
Bracco says the new facility will diversify its manufacturing network and strengthen supply reliability. Its announcement did not specify annual production capacity or identify which individual products the Sanford site will manufacture.
Contrast agents help make blood vessels, organs and tissues easier to distinguish during an examination. RadiologyInfo explains that they temporarily change how imaging tools interact with the body, improving the visibility of selected structures.
Different examinations use different materials. Iodine-based agents are used in CT and X-ray imaging, while gadolinium-based agents are commonly used for contrast-enhanced MRI. These categories should not be treated as interchangeable supplies.
The company’s existing portfolio includes the MRI agents Vueway and ProHance, alongside iodinated products for CT imaging. That portfolio describes its wider business, not a confirmed product list for the North Carolina plant.
Contrast availability is one part of the investment needed to support imaging services. Equipment manufacturers are also introducing systems such as GE HealthCare’s Allia Celeo for image-guided procedures, where clinicians use imaging to follow instruments and contrast material.
Hiring schedule extends through 2031
The planned workforce includes both production employees and staff responsible for quality, logistics and technical support. The local development agency’s staffing timetable places the project’s employment buildout across several years.
Bracco selected a region with established pharmaceutical manufacturing activity. The Sanford Area Growth Alliance identified nearby employers including Astellas, Kyowa Kirin and STERIS, along with local training resources.
Other investments address different constraints in radiology. RadNet’s proposed ONRAD acquisition, for example, would expand remote image interpretation and hospital staffing services. That transaction concerns access to radiologists, while the Sanford project focuses on manufacturing injectable imaging supplies.
The announcements reviewed did not provide a firm commercial opening date for the plant. Full staffing by 2031 should therefore remain separate from any claim about when hospitals will receive its first shipments.
The project would establish the company’s first U.S. manufacturing site specifically for injectable contrast media, as MedTech Dive reported. Its delivery schedule and eventual production volumes remain undisclosed.
