SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Swiss drugmaker Roche is investing more than $60 million to expand its pharmaceutical plant in Puerto Rico.
Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla says the expansion will create 40 jobs and allow Roche Operations LTD to produce glucose monitoring strips. He made the announcement Tuesday at the plant in the southern coastal city of Ponce.
Roche has been operating in Puerto Rico for 45 years.
It's the third such expansion announced this month. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is investing nearly $80 million to expand its plant, while pharmaceutical supplier Sartorius is investing $50 million to convert its plant into the main logistical hub for the Americas.
The expansions are a boost for the island's manufacturing sector, which has shrunk amid a 10-year economic slump.
