Tens of thousands of new jobs as AstraZeneca pledges $50bn investment in United States

The move strengthens the belief that AstraZeneca is set to end its UK stockmarket presence and focus the bulk of its future research investment resources in America and China.

It remains committed to expanding its presence at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus but, as we revealed recently, continues to feel its efforts are under-appreciated in the UK.

With US President Donald Trump threatening tariffs on non-US generated pharmaceutical products, AstraZeneca’s latest move is as shrewd as it could prove game-changing for the sector.

The company says the $50bn of investment in the United States builds on America’s global leadership in medicines manufacturing and R&D. The investment is expected to create tens of thousands of new, highly skilled direct and indirect jobs across the US – powering growth and delivering next generation medicines for patients in America and worldwide.

The cornerstone of this landmark investment is a new multi-billion dollar US manufacturing facility in Virginia that will produce drug substances for the company’s innovative weight management and metabolic portfolio, including oral GLP-1, baxdrostat, oral PCSK9 and combination small molecule products.

The new state-of-the-art centre in golden Virginia will produce small molecules, peptides and oligonucleotides. This multi-billion dollar capital investment is in addition to $3.5bn announced last November.

The drug substance facility in Virginia, would be AstraZeneca’s largest single manufacturing investment in the world. The facility will leverage AI, automation, and data analytics to optimise production.

The $50bn investment across its R&D and manufacturing footprint in the US over the next five years also includes: expansion of its R&D facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland; a state-of-the-art R&D centre in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts; next-generation manufacturing facilities for cell therapy in Rockville, Maryland and Tarzana, California; continuous manufacturing expansion in Mount Vernon, Indiana; specialty manufacturing expansion in Coppell, Texas; new sites to supply clinical trials.; and growing research and development investment in novel medicines.

Collectively, these investments will help deliver AstraZeneca’s ambition of reaching $80bn in total revenue by 2030, of which it expects 50 per cent would be generated in the US.

Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, said: “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.

“We are proud that AstraZeneca has made the decision to bring substantial pharmaceutical production to our shores. This historic investment is bringing tens of thousands of jobs to the US and will ensure medicine sold in our country is produced right here.”

Governor Glenn Youngkin, Commonwealth of Virginia, said: “I want to thank AstraZeneca for choosing Virginia as the cornerstone for this transformational investment in the United States.

“This project will set the standard for the latest technological advancements in pharmaceutical manufacturing, creating hundreds of highly skilled jobs and helping further strengthen the nation’s domestic supply chain.

“Advanced manufacturing is at the heart of Virginia’s dynamic economy, so I am thrilled that AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, plans to make their largest global manufacturing investment here in the Commonwealth.”

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, comments: “Today’s announcement underpins our belief in America’s innovation in biopharmaceuticals and our commitment to the millions of patients who need our medicines in America and globally.

“It will also support our ambition to reach $80bn in revenue by 2030. I look forward to partnering with Governor Youngkin and his team to work on our largest single manufacturing investment ever. It reflects the Commonwealth of Virginia’s desire to create highly skilled jobs in science and technology, and will strengthen the country’s domestic supply chain for medicines.”

The US is AstraZeneca’s largest market and home to 19 R&D, manufacturing and commercial sites. The company employs more than 18,000 people and supports 92,000 jobs across the United States.

In 2024 it contributed $5 billion directly to the economy and created approximately $20bn worth of overall value for the American coffers. The US represents 42 per cent of AZ’s total revenue with an ambition to reach 50 per cent by 2030. This underscores the critical role the US plays in the company’s ability to deliver on its ambition to launch 20 new medicines by the end of the decade.