Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche has pledged a $50 billion ( €47 billion) investment in the United States over the next five years, a move expected to create more than 12,000 jobs. The Basel-based company, already deeply entrenched in the US market with 25,000 employees, 15 R&D centers, and 13 manufacturing sites, aims to expand further into high-tech research and development as well as manufacturing.
Roche’s expansion plans include new facilities in California, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. The company is constructing a "state-of-the-art gene therapy manufacturing facility" in Pennsylvania and a new production center to support its growing portfolio of next-generation weight loss medicines at an undisclosed location.
The announcement comes at a sensitive time. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump introduced sweeping tariffs designed to reduce America's trade deficit, which initially placed Swiss imports under a potential 31% tariff. Although Switzerland is not an EU member, it is geographically surrounded by EU countries and was set to face higher tariffs than the bloc's 20% rate.
After Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter reportedly discussed tariffs directly with Trump, the US administration paused the steep new tariffs on around 60 countries for 90 days, though it remains unclear whether her intervention influenced the decision. Nevertheless, Roche’s announcement is seen as a significant response to the administration’s call for more foreign investment.
Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker emphasized the company's commitment to the US, stating, "Today's announced investments underscore our longstanding commitment to research, development and manufacturing in the US."
The company added that once its expanded manufacturing capabilities are operational, Roche expects to export more medicines from the US than it imports, although the statement notably made no direct mention of tariffs.
The planned investments will result in an additional 1,000 jobs within Roche itself and over 11,000 jobs supporting new US manufacturing capabilities, bringing the company’s presence in the country to 24 sites across eight states.
Roche, known for products such as cancer treatments and multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus, generated over 60 billion Swiss francs (€64.3bn) in worldwide sales last year, with nearly 25 billion francs (€26.8bn) of that revenue coming from its pharmaceuticals division in the United States.
Despite the strategic investment, Roche's share price has fallen about 18% over the past month, much of the drop occurring after the announcement of Trump’s tariffs on April 2.
