Swiss pharma giant Roche has announced that it will be investing $50 billion in U.S. manufacturing and R&D infrastructure over the next five years, creating 12,000 jobs and expanding production across key states. The move comes as the U.S. government considers sweeping new tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, pressuring companies to shift manufacturing onshore.
Roche Commits $50B to U.S. Expansion Amid Tariff Threats
Roche is making a strategic shift in its global operations, announcing a $50 billion investment in U.S. facilities over the next five years. The Swiss pharmaceutical company said the funding will support new and expanded manufacturing, R&D, and distribution centers, while creating more than 12,000 jobs—6,500 of them in construction and 1,000 at new and upgraded sites.
“We’re laying the foundation for our next era of innovation and growth, benefiting patients in the U.S. and around the world,” said Thomas Schinecker, CEO of Roche in a statement. “This investment reinforces our long-term commitment to the U.S. healthcare system.”
Roche currently employs 25,000 across 24 sites in the U.S., its largest single market by revenue. By ramping up output from U.S. plants, it aims to reverse its import-export ratio, eventually shipping more pharmaceuticals out of the country than it brings in.
The expansion will include projects in Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, and California, as well as two new initiatives: a plant for continuous glucose monitoring devices in Indiana, and a yet-to-be-announced facility to manufacture weight loss medicines.
With these expansions, Roche said it expects to export more drugs from the U.S. than it imports. “Our investments have also been aligned with the Swiss government and form part of the ongoing discussions between the U.S. and Switzerland,” a Roche spokesperson noted.
The move comes as the U.S. ramps up pressure on pharmaceutical manufacturers to localize production. The Trump administration recently launched a Section 232 investigation into pharmaceutical imports, aiming to determine whether dependency on foreign-made drugs and ingredients poses a national security risk.
The outcome could lead to broad tariffs on branded drugs, generics, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)—an industry that has long operated globally, sourcing materials heavily from China and India.
Reshoring Momentum Grows Across Pharma
The U.S. imported nearly $213 billion in pharmaceutical products last year, according to UN trade data—almost triple the amount in 2014. Industry leaders are warning that sudden tariffs could disrupt supply chains and inflate drug costs. Generic manufacturers, in particular, could be hit hard due to their thinner margins and reliance on low-cost raw materials from overseas.
Roche, which generated nearly 48% of its global sales from the U.S. market in 2024, appears to be getting ahead of the curve. Novartis recently committed $23 billion to the U.S.-based operations, and similar moves by Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson underscore a sector-wide recalibration.
The administration’s push for reshoring isn’t limited to rhetoric. “Semiconductors and pharmaceuticals will have a tariff model in order to encourage them to reshore, to be built in America,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during a recent interview.
This announcement follows the April 1 launch of a formal investigation into the pharmaceutical and semiconductor sectors, using the same legal mechanism—Section 232—that previously justified tariffs on steel and aluminium.
What This Signals About the Future of Pharma Supply Chain Strategy
Roche’s $50 billion investment in U.S. infrastructure is a clear signal that supply chain strategies in pharma are entering a new phase—one shaped as much by policy alignment and operational control as by cost optimization. This is not merely a reaction to potential tariffs, but a deliberate repositioning of core capabilities closer to demand, regulation, and innovation ecosystems.
For supply chain leaders, it invites a reassessment of where strategic dependencies exist, whether in raw materials, specialized labor, or regulatory compliance, and how they might be reduced without sacrificing efficiency. Building optionality into sourcing and manufacturing footprints, evaluating domestic versus offshore lead times, and modeling exposure to trade policy shifts are now essential exercises.
