AstraZeneca Doubles Down on U.S. Expansion with $50B Commitment

In a major bet on its largest market, AstraZeneca — the U.K.’s third-largest company by market value — is dramatically expanding its American footprint. The pharma giant announced it will pour $50 billion into U.S. operations by 2030, further rooting its manufacturing and research presence stateside.

On Monday, CEO Pascal Soriot joined Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin in Washington, D.C., to confirm one of the centerpiece investments: a $4 billion drug manufacturing facility in Virginia. It’s the company’s largest single-site spend to date and a key plank in its ambitious North American growth strategy.

“We are very focused on our commitment to the United States,” Soriot told attendees at the announcement event. “The great majority of our portfolio of new products originates out of our research and development here in the United States.” He emphasized the company’s deepening U.S. ties: “To great extent, we are American.”

Big Goals, Bigger Spending

‍The massive capital plan includes ramping up domestic production, new R&D hubs, and expanded advanced therapies manufacturing. By 2030, AstraZeneca hopes to reach $80 billion in annual revenue, with half generated in the U.S. alone.

The company is reportedly weighing a dramatic shift for its stock too — moving its main listing from London to New York — a decision that would underline its pivot toward the U.S. market.

The newly announced Virginia factory isn’t the only expansion underway. AstraZeneca is building a major R&D center in Cambridge, Massachusetts; new cell therapy sites in Maryland and California; and expanding facilities in Maryland, Indiana, and Texas.

The company’s overall $50 billion target also includes hefty spending on U.S.-based drug research. Exact breakdowns by project haven’t been disclosed yet, but the effort aligns with a broader trend: major drugmakers are reshoring production as U.S. policymakers push to lessen reliance on overseas supply chains.

Tariffs Loom Over Pharma

‍AstraZeneca’s big bet comes as the Trump administration weighs steep tariffs on foreign-made pharmaceuticals. Several companies, including AstraZeneca, are trying to get ahead of potential duties by announcing new U.S. production deals and expansions.

Soriot acknowledged the tariff backdrop but said AstraZeneca’s strategy would move forward either way: “We understand the need for a country like the U.S. to see medicines serving patients in this country manufactured in this country. It’s a question about national security.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed that point, saying: “For decades Americans have been reliant on foreign supply of key pharmaceutical products. President Trump and our nation’s new tariff policies are focused on ending this structural weakness.”

Trump has hinted that tariffs as high as 200% could soon be imposed on certain imported drugs, with phase-ins to ease the shock to the market. At the same time, the administration is floating a “most favored nation” pricing policy, which would aim to ensure U.S. consumers don’t pay more for medicines than patients overseas — though how that might be enforced remains uncertain.

Soriot added that America shouldn’t shoulder the entire burden of drug development costs: “The U.S. cannot alone carry the cost of R&D for the entire world.”

Fastest Deal Ever

‍The Virginia factory deal came together quickly. Soriot and Youngkin first discussed the plan in London in June — and just weeks later, it’s official. Soriot described it as “the fastest investment deal negotiation his company has ever completed.”

The new site will produce “drug substance” for some of AstraZeneca’s latest pipeline medicines, including an oral GLP-1 drug for weight loss, a new cholesterol-lowering pill, and the blood pressure therapy baxdrostat. All three are still in clinical trials.

Virginia’s Governor said the exact location hasn’t been finalized, but multiple “shovel-ready” sites are in the running. Once complete, the factory is expected to employ several hundred people, adding to the state’s growing life sciences footprint.

Originally reported by Ned Pagliarulo in Construction Dive.