A photo showing the logo of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche in Basel.
SEBASTIEN BOZON | AFP | Getty Images
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche on Tuesday said that it would invest $50 billion in the U.S. over the next five years, amid concerns about the impact of possible new White House tariffs on pharma goods from abroad.
The investment will create more than 12,000 jobs, Roche said — 1,000 with the company, and the remainder to support new U.S. manufacturing capabilities.
The pharma giant will inject cash into creating new state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) sites, while bolstering and expanding manufacturing facilities in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California. A new R&D site in Massachusetts will be used for AI research and act as a hub for research into cardiovascular, renal and metabolism treatments.
The funding package will also be used to build a new 900,000 square foot manufacturing center in an unknown location to support Roche’s “expanding portfolio of next generation weight loss medicines.”
Once the new manufacturing capacity investments are complete, Roche said it would export more medicines from the U.S. than it imports.
Pharmaceutical companies have been scrambling to bolster their U.S. presence amid threats from President Donald Trump to end the industry’s exemption from import tariffs.
“We’re going to be announcing very shortly a major tariff on pharmaceuticals,” he said earlier this month.
This developing story is being updated.
