Pharmaceuticals giant Roche has said that it will invest $50bn into the US in the next five years.
“These investments further strengthen Roche’s already significant US footprint with 13 manufacturing and 15 R&D sites across the Pharmaceutical and Diagnostics Divisions, and are expected to create more than 12,000 new jobs, including nearly 6,500 construction jobs, as well as 1,000 jobs at new and expanded facilities,” the Swiss company said.
Roche currently has around 25,000 employees in 24 sites across eight US states.
It said the investment will include “expanded and upgraded” US manufacturing and distribution for its innovative medicines and diagnostics portfolio in Kentucky, Indiana, New Jersey, Oregon and California. It will also add a gene therapy manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, plus a new 900,000 square foot manufacturing centre - location to be announced - to support Roche’s portfolio of weight loss medicines.
Roche will also add a new manufacturing facility for continuous glucose monitoring in Indiana and an R&D centre in Massachusetts to serve as a hub for cardiovascular, renal and metabolism research. It also said it would expand and upgrade its existing pharmaceuticals and diagnostics R&D centres in Arizona, Indiana and California.
Once all new and expanded manufacturing capacity comes on-line, Roche will export more medicines from the US than it imports, the company said, noting that its diagnostics division already has an export surplus from the US to other countries.
Roche Group CEO Thomas Schinecker said the investments underscore the company’s long-standing commitment to research, development and manufacturing in the US. “We are proud of our 110 year legacy in the United States which has been a key driver for jobs, innovation and the creation of intellectual property in the US, across both our pharmaceutical and diagnostics divisions,” he said.
The pharma industry has been preparing for the potential imposition of tariffs by the US administration; while pharmaceuticals were excluded from President Trump’s first wave of tariffs since then there have been a number of suggestions that tariffs may be imposed, even as a growing number of pharmaceuticals companies have announced plans to increase their investment and headcount in the US.
More on international trade
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- US tariffs: Understanding the impact on the chemicals industry
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