TOKYO, March 17 (Reuters) - Swiss pharmaceutical giant

Novartis will watch "very carefully" how the reciprocal

tariff policy proposed by the United States unfolds in early

April, Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan said on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump last month flagged potential

import duties of about 25% on pharmaceuticals as part of

measures affecting a range of industries, including

semiconductors and automobiles, as he seeks to reshape global

trade.

"The real key is to see what are the policies that are

actually implemented versus what's being said in the rhetoric,"

Narasimhan told reporters at a briefing in Tokyo. "And then

we're just going to have to respond appropriately."

Trump said on Monday he had no intention of creating

exemptions from steel and aluminium tariffs and said he will

impose reciprocal and sectoral tariffs on April 2.

The U.S. president has previously announced tariffs on trade

partners only to subsequently suspend them or allow exceptions.

Narasimhan was in Japan to announce plans to set up a

research hub employing about 50 people to expand Novartis'

clinical trials in the East Asian country.

That would follow a $100 million investment in its Sasayama

facility in western Japan, announced in 2024, to grow production

of radiopharmaceuticals - a form of targeted nuclear medicine

used to treat multiple types of cancer.

Last year, Novartis agreed to buy U.S.-based Mariana

Oncology for $1 billion upfront to expand its portfolio of the

drugs, which currently include prostate cancer treatment

Pluvicto and Lutathera used for a rare group of gastrointestinal

tumours.