Bracco Imaging is investing $230m to establish its first site on US soil to advance supply chain resilience and meet the rising demand for injectable contrast media.
The privately-owned Italian imaging specialist has chosen to build its new sterile manufacturing facility in the Lee County city of Sanford, North Carolina, with the project expected to create 200 jobs in the region.
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Bracco manufactures a wide range of injectable contrast media for procedures – including fluoroscopy and angiography via X-ray and computed tomography (CT), central nervous system (CNS) imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound agents (CEUS) for echocardiography and paediatric urinary tract imaging.
The company anticipates that its new site will support the growing demand for injectable contrast media and result in shorter delivery times and lower transportation costs.
Also known as contrast agents or dyes, contrast media is injected to temporarily change how medical imaging tools interact with the body, making specific blood vessels, organs, and soft tissues stand out clearly against surrounding tissue.
GlobalData analysis reveals that the broader diagnostic imaging market is on a steep growth incline, with the global market growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5% and projected to reach a valuation of around $87.6bn in 2035, up from around $56.4bn in 2025. Meanwhile, a GlobalData market model indicates that the combined market for X-ray/CT, MRI, and ultrasound contrast media will reach a valuation of around $7.4bn in 2035.
Bracco’s vice chairman and CEO, Fulvio Renoldi Bracco, said: “The US is our largest market and home to many of the patients we serve.
“Producing injectable contrast media here in Sanford brings our supply closer to American hospitals and patients and makes it even more resilient.”
Beyond Bracco’s outlay, the new project is funded in part by a job development investment grant (JDIG) awarded to Bracco’s US division and approved by the State of North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee on 27 October.
Across the grant’s 12-year term, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $1.78bn. Using a formula that accounts for new tax revenues the newly created jobs and capital investment are anticipated to generate, the JDIG authorises a potential reimbursement to Bracco of up to around $2.86m that will be meted out over the grant’s term.
Expressing his pleasure in Bracco’s decision to invest in North Carolina, state governor Josh Stein asserted that North Carolina’s longstanding strengths in “manufacturing, innovation, and workforce development” have created an ecosystem that “gives companies like Bracco the confidence to invest here”.
Amid geopolitical challenges in 2026 such as Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, other players in the medtech space have taken steps to improve supply chain resilience by bolstering their manufacturing site presence in the US. In June 2025, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) pledged $1bn to strengthen its contact lens manufacturing provision in Florida.
While most medtech-specific companies have not been incentivised to expand their manufacturing presence on US soil, J&J’s investment aligns with its broader $55bn pledge announced in March 2025 to increase its manufacturing footprint in the US – an initiative primarily driven by pharma-related incentives as outlined by the Trump Administration.
