President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had met Vas Narasimhan, chief executive officer of Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, at the White House the previous day. Speaking to workers at a steel plant in Rome, Georgia, Trump said Narasimhan had told him during the meeting that the company was building 11 plants in the United States and attributed that activity to the administration's tariff policies.
In response to requests for comment, a Novartis spokesperson emailed a statement that emphasized recent and planned U.S. investments but did not confirm the specific facility count cited by the president. The spokesperson said: "We appreciate the opportunity to update the U.S. government on our progress, including recent groundbreakings for manufacturing and research facilities in North Carolina and California and plans to expand our radioligand therapy manufacturing network with a new site in Florida."
The company statement provided no additional detail on how many facilities Novartis plans to build in the United States. Separately, the article notes that last year the Swiss drugmaker announced intentions to invest $23 billion to build and expand 10 U.S. facilities. That earlier announcement followed a period in which the Trump administration threatened to impose duties on drug imports.
Public remarks by the president linked the reported expansion to tariff policy, while the company confirmed recent groundbreakings and a planned expansion of its radioligand therapy manufacturing network. Beyond that confirmation, the Novartis statement did not elaborate on counts, timelines, or funding allocations for additional U.S. sites.
Contextual notes
- The president said the meeting with Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan took place at the White House on Wednesday.
- Trump relayed that Narasimhan said the company was building 11 U.S. plants and attributed the investment to tariff measures.
- Novartis confirmed groundbreakings in North Carolina and California and plans for a new radioligand therapy manufacturing site in Florida, but did not confirm the total number of U.S. facilities.
- Last year Novartis announced plans to spend $23 billion to build and expand 10 U.S. facilities after the administration threatened drug import duties.