GSK PLC (LSE:GSK, NYSE:GSK) will pour $30 billion into research, development and manufacturing in the United States over the next five years, in one of the largest overseas investment programmes announced by a UK-listed company.
The commitment includes a fresh $1.2 billion package unveiled today to expand production capacity and adopt artificial intelligence and digital technologies across its American operations.
The move is expected to create hundreds of skilled jobs in addition to construction roles, bolstering GSK’s 15,000-strong US workforce.
The new investment will fund construction of a biologics “flex” factory at Upper Merion, Pennsylvania, due to break ground in 2026.
The site will focus on developing next-generation medicines for respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as cancers, including lung, gynaecological and blood malignancies.
Other spending will strengthen drug substance manufacturing and boost auto-injector and device capabilities across existing sites in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland and Montana.
The US is already GSK’s largest base for clinical trial activity, and the company said the new investments would ensure it ranks first globally for the number of studies and participants involved.
The announcement follows an $800 million expansion at Marietta, Pennsylvania, last year, and takes GSK’s total new US manufacturing commitments to $2 billion in the past 12 months.