Multinational Pharma Giants Surge US Investments in Early 2026 with Billions Pledged for Manufacturing and R&D

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry DynamicsRecently, Novartis announced plans to build a new 46,000-square-foot Radioligand Therapy (RLT) manufacturing facility in Texas, USA. The construction of the facility is expected to begin this year and be fully operational by 2028. Once completed, the Texas plant will join Novartis' comprehensive RLT manufacturing network, providing RLT production capacity spanning from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States.
 

RLT Factory is Novartis' fifth RLT manufacturing plant in the United States, marking a further advancement in Novartis' $23 billion investment plan in the U.S. In April 2025, Novartis announced a plan to invest $23 billion in U.S. infrastructure over five years to ensure that all critical drugs provided by Novartis for American patients will be manufactured in the United States.
 

According to the plan, Novartis will build 7 new factories in the United States, 3 of which will focus on biologics.Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, formulation products, medical device assembly and packaging, one focused on chemical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), oral solid dosage forms, and packaging, two radioligand therapy (RLT) production bases, and one biomedical research and innovation center.
 

In addition, Novartis will also expand its existing three plants, which are the three RLT production bases located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Millburn, New Jersey, and Carlsbad, California.
 

Through these investments, Novartis will have the production capacity for all its core technology platforms (including small molecules and biologics) in the United States, and in the future, it may be able to end-to-end produce 100% of its critical drugs in the U.S.
 

In fact, apart from Novartis, several MNCs such as Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Roche have already announced plans for large-scale investments in the United States to enhance their production capabilities there and reduce potential tariff risks associated with imported products. For instance, in March 2025, Merck will open a new pharmaceutical factory in Durham, North Carolina, worth approximately $1 billion, with plans to invest $8 billion in the U.S. by 2028.
 

In February 2025, Eli Lilly announced an investment of at least $27 billion to build four new production facilities in the United States. Three of these will focus on manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients and further strengthening the supply chain, while the other facility will concentrate on future injectable therapies.
 

Moreover, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would increase its investment in the United States by 25% over the next four years, exceeding $55 billion; AstraZeneca announced a $3.5 billion investment in the United States to expand its research and manufacturing capabilities by the end of 2026.
 

Notably, against this backdrop, at the start of 2026, multinational pharmaceutical companies have already sparked a large-scale investment wave in advanced manufacturing + cutting-edge R&D in the United States. Among them, Johnson & Johnson announced on February 18 that it plans to invest over 1 billion US dollars to build a next-generation cell therapy production facility in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The facility is expected to create more than 4,000 construction jobs and 500 biomanufacturing jobs.
 

On February 23, AbbVie announced an investment of $380 million into its Illinois headquarters campus to build two new API factories equipped with AI technology. These new factories will primarily support the company’s next-generation drugs for obesity and neuroscience.
 

On January 12, Eli Lilly and NVIDIA announced a joint investment of $1 billion to establish an AI drug discovery laboratory in San Francisco, aiming to accelerate the drug development process. The $1 billion investment will be used over five years for the laboratory’s infrastructure, computing power, and talent deployment.
 

　　Disclaimer: In no event shall the information or opinions expressed in this article constitute investment advice to any person.