ZURICH, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Novartis will expand its

operations in North Carolina and build a manufacturing hub there

as part of a planned $23 billion of U.S. infrastructure

investment over the next five years, the Swiss pharmaceuticals

company said on Wednesday.

The expansion is projected to create 700 new positions at

Novartis and more than 3,000 indirect jobs across the supply

chain by 2030, the company's statement said.

The announcement follows a preliminary deal struck by the

U.S. and Swiss governments last week to cut U.S. tariffs on

Switzerland to 15% from 39%.

Central to the deal is a pledge by Swiss companies such as

Novartis to invest $200 billion in the U.S. by the end of 2028.

Novartis said the new hub, expected to open in 2027 or 2028,

will comprise two new facilities in Durham, North Carolina, for

biologics manufacturing and sterile packaging, and a site in

Morrisville for solid dosage production and packaging.

Novartis said it will also expand its existing Durham campus

to support sterile filling of biologics.

The expansion is designed to increase the company's

manufacturing capacity so that all of its key U.S. medicines can

be produced domestically, it said.

(Writing by Dave Graham

Editing by David Goodman)