Roche to invest $50bn in US to avoid Trump tariffs, create 12,000 jobs

ZURICH: Roche said on Tuesday it would invest $50 billion in the United States over the next five years, creating more than 12,000 new jobs, in the latest massive investment by companies reacting to President Donald Trump’s tariff policy.

The announcement comes as drugmakers unveil investments to deal with tariffs from the Trump administration, which is seeking to boost domestic manufacturing.

Fellow Swiss drugmaker Novartis earlier this month said it would spend $23 billion in the United States, while Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson also announced sizeable investments recently.

The Roche and Novartis announcements gave a boost to Swiss President Karin Keller Sutter, who is set to meet senior US officials in Washington this week to try to reduce a threatened 31% US tariff on Swiss exports.