Novartis, AbbVie, AstraZeneca and Other Pharma Giants Accelerate U.S. Expansion with Major Acquisitions and Manufacturing Investments

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry DynamicsJanuary 12 News: AbbVie and West Pharmaceutical Services have reached a final agreement, under which the former will acquire a device manufacturing plant located in Tempe, Arizona, and its associated intellectual property. The transaction is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
 

According to the agreement, AbbVie plans to hire approximately 200 employees at the facility and invest more than $175 million in acquisition, modernization, and fully integrating the site into its global manufacturing network. This move will further enhance the company’s capabilities and capacity in the manufacturing of drug delivery devices, supporting the production of its existing and next-generation immunology and neuroscience drugs.
 

Notably, during the Q1 2025 sales and earnings call, AbbVie stated that it would reduce the prices of certain drugs in the U.S. and invest $100 billion domestically (covering pharmaceutical manufacturing), in exchange for specific tariff exemptions. Based on this, industry insiders believe that this acquisition is also part of its domestic investment strategy, which will strengthen the layout of pharmaceutical production capacity within the United States.
 

In fact, such investments are not isolated cases. Since 2025, many leading pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Roche, and AstraZeneca, have been increasing their investments in the United States. For example, Novartis announced a $23 billion infrastructure investment in April 2025. Then in November, it revealed plans to expand its operations in North Carolina by building a manufacturing hub as part of its five-year, $23 billion infrastructure investment plan in the U.S. Novartis stated that the new hub is expected to be operational by 2027 or 2028, comprising two new facilities in Durham for biologics manufacturing and sterile packaging, along with a solid-dosage manufacturing and packaging facility in Morrisville.
 

Roche Holdings also announced a $50 billion investment plan in 2025, aiming to invest $50 billion in the U.S. pharmaceuticals and diagnostics sectors over the next five years, creating more than 12,000 new jobs. This massive investment will be used to build one R&D center and two manufacturing bases, as well as upgrade a series of existing manufacturing, distribution, and R&D facilities. At the time of the announcement, Roche already had 13 manufacturing sites and 15 R&D centers in the U.S., covering both pharmaceuticals and diagnostics businesses.
 

Sanofi announced in May 2025 plans to invest at least $20 billion in the United States by 2030. This investment is expected to create a "significant number of high-paying jobs" across multiple states, although specific figures were not disclosed. Additionally, the company plans to expand its production capacity in the U.S., including direct investments in Sanofi facilities and collaborations with American manufacturers.
 

Johnson & Johnson announced that it will invest $55 billion in the United States over the next four years. This massive investment will be used to build three new manufacturing sites while expanding some of the existing plants in its pharmaceutical and medical technology network. In addition, Johnson & Johnson also revealed plans to strengthen its R&D infrastructure and increase investment in technological advancements to accelerate the drug discovery and development process.
 

AstraZeneca Plans to Invest $50 Billion in the U.S. by 2030 for Manufacturing Expansion and R&D System Development, Including a $4 Billion Project to Build a Chronic Disease Drug Plant in Virginia. Notably, to further strengthen its local production layout in the U.S. and enhance supply chain resilience, AstraZeneca announced an additional $2 billion manufacturing investment in Maryland in November 2025.
 

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Overall, this series of investments highlights AstraZeneca, Novartis, Eli Lilly and other multinational pharmaceutical companies' continued optimism towards the U.S. domestic manufacturing market. However, the push for domestic manufacturing is not an overnight process—recruitment, technology implementation, regulatory compliance, and other steps all take time to progress. Whether these multinational pharmaceutical companies can achieve expected growth in production capacity within the anticipated timeframe remains to be seen.
 

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