Feb 18 (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday it would invest more than $1 billion to build a new cell therapy facility in Pennsylvania, part of a larger plan the company announced last year to expand U.S. manufacturing amid President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
In March, the company announced plans to invest more than $55 billion by early 2029 to build manufacturing facilities and research infrastructure in the United States, including a standalone plant in Wilson, North Carolina.
The U.S. government imposed 100% tariffs on brand-name drugs in October but said it would only apply to manufacturers that have not yet broken ground on U.S. manufacturing plants.
Major drugmakers such as Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca have also pledged billions of dollars to expand their U.S. operations in response to Trump’s efforts, including the threat of tariffs.
Johnson & Johnson said the new Montgomery County facility will create more than 4,000 construction jobs and 500 permanent biomanufacturing jobs when it opens. The company did not say when the plant would begin operations.
The company said the plant will expand production capabilities for drugs targeting cancer, immune diseases and neurological diseases.
The company currently has an approved cell therapy, Carvykti, to treat adults with certain types of multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in the plasma cells of the bone marrow.
Johnson & Johnson already has 10 plants in Pennsylvania and has an estimated annual economic impact of about $10 billion, the company said.
In August, the drugmaker said it would invest $2 billion to build a production facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, under a 10-year agreement with Tokyo-based contract drug developer Fujifilm Biotechnologies.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
