Global Pharmaceutical Companies Unveil Investment Plans in Response to Trump’s Announced Drug Tariffs

A $50 Billion Investment Announced for the U.S.
40% of Total Revenue Generated in the U.S. Market
A Strategic Move in Response to Trump's Tariff Policy

British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca plans to invest $50 billion (approximately 69 trillion won) by 2030 to expand its manufacturing and research capabilities in the United States, according to reports from Reuters and other outlets on July 21 (local time). This large-scale investment is seen as a response to President Donald Trump's announced pharmaceutical tariff policy.

Reuters Yonhap News

In a statement, AstraZeneca said it will build a new drug manufacturing facility in Virginia and expand research and development (R&D) as well as cell therapy production in Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Indiana, and Texas. The company also announced plans to upgrade its clinical trial supply chain in the United States and to continue investing in new drug development. Previously, in November last year, AstraZeneca had also announced a plan to invest $3.5 billion in the United States.

Last year, AstraZeneca generated more than 40% of its total revenue from the U.S. market. The United States is the world's largest pharmaceutical market, valued at $635 billion.

This expansion of investment in the United States follows President Trump's announcement of plans to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals and his call for increased domestic production. On July 15, President Trump stated that tariffs on foreign-made pharmaceuticals could be imposed as early as the end of this month, saying, "We will start with low tariffs, give pharmaceutical companies about a year to build production lines in the U.S., and then impose very high tariffs."

Following President Trump's tariff war, other major pharmaceutical companies, including Roche, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Sanofi, have also announced investment plans in the United States.