{
  "id": 8947347,
  "title": "Roche investiert Milliarden in den USA. Für einen Ersatzneubau in Basel reicht es trotzdem noch",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/roche-investiert-milliarden-in-den-usa-fur-einen-ersatzneubau-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-21T15:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NZZ Wirtschaft",
    "slug": "nzz-wirtschaft",
    "url": "https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/roche-investiert-milliarden-in-den-usa-fuer-einen-ersatzneubau-in-basel-reicht-es-trotzdem-noch-ld.10024750"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Roche, a pharmaceutical giant, is investing billions in the United States, constructing a new production facility near its headquarters in Basel. Despite the company's concerns over Switzerland losing ground, primarily tax-wise, the US remains the focal point for investment in new pharmaceutical factories. This trend is driven by American President Donald Trump's threats of tariffs if pharmaceutical companies do not invest in the US. According to recent analysts from the Dutch financial institution ING, 670 billion dollars in investment promises have been made since Trump's re-election in the previous year. These promises cover not only construction costs or expenses for new production facilities but also wages for researchers and lab consumables. Roche has earmarked 50 billion dollars for investments in the US, with recent expansions including a 750 million dollar facility for liquid medication in Hillsboro, Oregon, and a new research center in Allston, Boston, with the potential to employ up to 500 people. In Switzerland, Roche is busy completing investments decided prior to Trump's re-election. One such example is the new factory for producing active ingredients for chemically manufactured medications in Basel, with a total value of 790 million Swiss francs. The company expects to produce new medicines or those in their first few years after market launch from 2030. Roche's CEO, Thomas Schinecker, considers the new factory as a clear commitment to Basel and Switzerland, stating they believe in the research and production location. The plant will also provide services to patients in the US, and Roche hopes for rapid approvals and billion-dollar annual revenues for new medications like the breast cancer drug Giredestrant and the multiple sclerosis treatment Fenebrutinib. Roche received a guarantee from the Trump administration that tariffs would be waived in the next three years. However, with the new administration, Roche hopes tariffs on pharmaceutical products will disappear entirely. At its headquarters in Basel, Roche benefits from short distances, with over 2000 employees working in research and development. The new factory aims to bring product innovations to market faster than before, according to the celebration. However, producing active ingredients from small molecules is not new to Roche in Basel, as the company replaces facilities that are partially from the 1950s and 1960s. The 200 production employees will simply move from their current workspace to a new one. No new jobs will be created, confirmed Jürg Erismann, who manages both the Basel and Kaiseraugst Roche sites, and will retire in the coming spring after twelve years in his position. This marks the end of an era at Roche, which has invested significantly in Switzerland since 2016. The company has spent around 7 billion Swiss francs on expanding and modernizing its sites in Basel, Kaiseraugst, and Rotkreuz. Currently, around 1.4 billion Swiss francs are being spent on ongoing construction projects in Basel and Kaiseraugst. Roche's focus on the US for investment will likely mean smaller projects in Switzerland. Schinecker warned that Switzerland is losing ground due to high investment promises in the US, primarily referring to the tax environment. Switzerland now faces higher taxes compared to countries like Ireland and the US, which demand significantly less of large companies like Roche.",
  "summary": "Der Pharmakonzern Roche baut eine neue Produktionsstätte an seinem Basler Hauptsitz. Gleichzeitig beklagt das Management, die Schweiz habe vor allem steuerlich an Boden verloren.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}