LAFAYETTE – Evonik, with a pharmaceutical production facility in Lafayette producing active ingredients for medications, announced Thursday a $220 million investment to build a new lipid production facility for mRNA-based therapies.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, as described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teach our cells to produce protein that boosts our immune system and were key to the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
The partnership includes U.S. government funding of up to $150 million through its Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
The investment marks a partnership with the U.S. government, according to the announcement, which would add 80 jobs to the Tippecanoe County area. The Essen, German-based company selected the Tippecanoe County facility "due to its existing infrastructure, a highly skilled workforce, and readily available technologies."
The Lafayette location is the company's second-largest facility in Evonik's inventory, already possessing some 650 jobs, the announcement stated.
Indiana COVID update:Tippecanoe County's COVID cases up 5.4%; Indiana cases up 7.9%