A major life sciences real estate deal quietly closed late last year is now coming into clearer focus. According to Maryland Newsletters, AstraZeneca followed through on a previously announced plan and purchased 14 Firstfield Road in Gaithersburg from Novavax for $20 million.
The property is a vacant 9.6-acre site, but the price reflects roughly 600,000SF in development entitlements that Novavax secured while it owned the land, originally planned for a campus-style headquarters.
The purchase also aligns with AstraZeneca’s broader expansion plans in Maryland. In November, the company and the State of Maryland announced a $2 billion investment to expand AstraZeneca’s manufacturing operations in Frederick and Gaithersburg. The investment represents the largest private capital commitment in the state in the past decade and is expected to support approximately 2,600 jobs.
That November announcement detailed plans to significantly expand both commercial and clinical manufacturing capacity at AstraZeneca’s Frederick facility, along with development at a new Gaithersburg site. State and local leaders have pointed to the project as a major boost to Maryland’s life sciences sector and a move that strengthens the domestic medicine supply chain.
