Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has announced a $50 billion investment in its U.S. operations through 2030 to expand manufacturing and research amid rising tariff concerns.
Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the company plans to build a major new facility in Virginia dedicated to its weight management and metabolic treatments, including its oral GLP-1 obesity medication.
This will be AstraZeneca’s largest single manufacturing investment globally, leveraging AI, automation, and data analytics to optimise production.
Additional expansions will occur across Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Indiana, and Texas, expected to create tens of thousands of jobs. CEO Pascal Soriot said the move reflects the company’s “belief in America’s innovation in biopharmaceuticals” and supports its goal to reach $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030, about half from the U.S.
The U.S. market already accounted for over 40% of AstraZeneca’s revenue in 2024. Following the 2024 U.S. elections, AstraZeneca announced a $3.5 billion U.S. investment to reinforce its presence.
Reports have also surfaced about a possible move of its stock listing from London to the U.S., which could significantly impact the London financial market. The company has not confirmed these reports.
Many pharmaceutical companies worldwide are increasing their investments in the U.S. because of President Trump’s push to bring manufacturing back to America and the threatened tariffs from the Section 232 investigation.
The investigation’s outcome, expected by July’s end, may impose tariffs up to 200% on imported drugs, with a brief 12 to 18-month grace period for relocations.
Industry leaders consider this timeline too short. Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said, “Typically for most medicines it’s a three to four year horizon. We’re working very hard to accelerate that as fast as we can and demonstrate we’re making the investments we have planned.”