12-05-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Roche will put $550 million facility for glucose monitors in Indianapolis, adding 650 jobs
Roche Diagnostics will invest $550 million in its Indianapolis base to construct a new manufacturing facility for glucose monitoring devices, which will add several hundred jobs and further solidify the company's footprint and presence in Indiana.
Swiss-based Roche will refurbish an existing building at its North American Headquarters located along I-69 on the border of Fishers and Marion County. The building will be completed in phases by 2030 and house technology to manufacture continuous glucose monitoring devices, the company announced May 12. If the company decides it needs more space for the operations, it could construct additional buildings.
Some 650 high-skill jobs are expected to be added in Indianapolis because of the investment. Roche employs nearly 5,000 people in the Indianapolis area, where the company has had strong roots since the 1960s when Roche established its diagnostics arm.
"Indianapolis was a natural choice when we sought a location for this newest investment," said Richeal Cline, Roche head of global operations. "This location has strong manufacturing capabilities and a longstanding history of producing diabetes care products for Roche."
The investment is part of a larger $50 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing that Roche announced last month to strengthen the biotech behemoth's production capacity. Eventually Roche plans to export more medicines from the United States than it imports into the country.
Roche is the latest pharmaceutical company to take steps to increase drug and medical device production in the United States amid President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff war. On May 12, Roche also announced a $700 million facility in North Carolina to build the next generation of weight-loss medications.
Roche executives believe the company is better off than other drugmakers as it has been increasing production in the United States for years. Roche can significantly increase U.S. manufacturing output "overnight," CEO Thomas Schinecker said in an April earnings call.
Roche's Indianapolis campus has established itself as a hub for glucose monitors and diabetes research. The site produces approximately 5.2 billion Accu-Chek diabetes test strips each year and serves as one of Roche's two global distribution hubs, helping make Indiana the largest state for advanced manufacturing in the country.
Continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, are wearable devices that record sugar levels just under the skin for 24 hours a day. More than 38 million Americans live with diabetes, a hard disease to manage given its unpredictability, Roche officials said. The investment will help with rising global demand for CGMs and improve diabetes management for millions, President and CEO of Roche Diagnostics Brad Moore said.
In choosing to build the facility in Indianapolis, Roche will receive a 10-year tax abatement from the city worth $40 million in addition to a state tax incentive package worth $20 million. Roche will also spend $2 million on community investments.
State Secretary of Commerce David Adams said the creation of several hundred in-demand jobs resulted in a generous tax credit package for Roche. When offering incentive packages, the state wants to help companies keep talented employees in Indiana while attracting others to the state who want to work in a strong biotech hub.
"We also want to be able to track down talent from around the country as they see the life sciences ecosystem here as a destination location," Adams said.
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Since 2012, Roche has poured $450 million into the Indianapolis campus and increased operational space and warehouse capacity by 37%.
Roche's $50 billion investment includes several other facilities across the country, including:
