Roche Announces $50 Billion U.S. Investment, Creating 12,000 Jobs Amid Tariff Tensions
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche has announced plans to invest $50 billion in the United States over the next five years, a move expected to create more than 12,000 new jobs. The investment comes as a wave of pharmaceutical companies respond to the U.S. administration’s push for domestic manufacturing amid rising tariff threats.
The company said the new roles will include approximately 6,500 jobs in construction and 1,000 positions at newly built and expanded facilities across the country.
This announcement follows similar commitments from other major industry players. Novartis, another Swiss drugmaker, recently pledged $23 billion in U.S. investment. U.S.-based firms Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson have also unveiled substantial expansions.
Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker said the decision reflects the company’s deepening commitment to the U.S., where it currently employs 25,000 people across 24 sites. He noted that once the new manufacturing capacities are operational, Roche will export more medicines from the U.S. than it imports, signaling a strategic shift in the company’s global supply chain.
Key Infrastructure Projects
Roche’s planned investment includes:
- Expansion of manufacturing and distribution centers in Kentucky, Indiana, New Jersey, and California
- A new gene therapy facility in Pennsylvania
- A continuous glucose monitoring plant in Indiana
- A new factory for weight loss drugs, with the location yet to be disclosed
- A cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism research center in Massachusetts
Schinecker described the $50 billion commitment as a foundation for Roche’s "next era of innovation and growth," aimed at improving patient access in the U.S. and globally.
Tariff Context
While Schinecker did not directly reference tariffs, the announcement comes amid growing tension over U.S. trade policies. Switzerland faces potential tariffs of 31% on pharmaceutical exports to the U.S.
Last week, the Trump administration launched an investigation into pharmaceutical imports, part of a broader effort to introduce new tariffs in the sector. The timeline and scope of these tariffs remain unclear, but they could have significant consequences. According to the United Nations trade database, the U.S. imported $213 billion worth of pharmaceutical products in the past year—nearly three times the amount imported in 2014.
Source: Reuters