Novartis breaks ground on Texas’ first radioligand therapy site to secure U.S. cancer supply chain

USA—Novartis has officially begun construction of its new 46,000-square-foot radioligand therapy (RLT) manufacturing facility in Denton, Texas.

This marks another major milestone in the company’s US$23 billion investment plan to expand manufacturing and research operations across the United States.

The groundbreaking, announced on May 7, reflects Novartis’ continued push to strengthen domestic production capacity for highly specialised cancer therapies while improving patient access across the southern United States.

The Denton facility will become Novartis’ first manufacturing site in Texas and its fifth radioligand therapy production site in the country.

Once operational in 2028, the facility will significantly expand the company’s supply chain footprint and reinforce what Novartis describes as the largest radioligand-therapy manufacturing network in the US.

The site will create new jobs in bioengineering, advanced manufacturing, quality control, and operations, while contributing to economic development in Denton and neighbouring communities.

Several senior government and diplomatic officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including US Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler, Swiss Ambassador to the US Ralf Heckner, Texas State Senator Brent Hagenbuch, State Representative Andy Hopper, and Denton Mayor Gerard Hudspeth.

Their presence highlighted the strategic importance of expanding advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing within the state.

Expanding Coast-to-Coast radioligand capacity

The new Texas facility will join Novartis’ established radioligand therapy network, which already includes sites in California, Indiana, and New Jersey, with an additional facility currently under development in Florida.

This latest expansion follows the opening of the company’s Carlsbad, California, RLT site in November 2025 and builds on several other manufacturing projects launched under its nationwide investment strategy.

In late April, Novartis also confirmed the finalisation of its broader US manufacturing and research expansion plan, which includes seven new facilities and three expanded sites across multiple states.

Recent additions include a biomedical research centre in San Diego and a new active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing plant in Morrisville, North Carolina, aimed at supporting oncology, immunology, cardiovascular, and RNA-based therapeutics.

Supporting next-generation cancer care

Radioligand therapy has become a central pillar of Novartis’ oncology strategy.

These precision medicines combine radioactive isotopes with targeting molecules that deliver radiation directly to cancer cells while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said expanded manufacturing remains essential as radioligand therapies move into earlier treatment settings and address a broader range of cancers, including breast, brain, colon, lung, pancreatic, and prostate malignancies.

He noted that the Denton project will help strengthen the company’s US supply chain and support the timely delivery of highly personalised treatments to patients nationwide.

The company’s radioligand pipeline continues to expand alongside other strategic investments, including its February 2026 research partnership with Unnatural Products, a deal valued at up to US$1.7 billion and focused on developing macrocyclic peptide therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases.