May 12 (Reuters) - Roche Group said on Monday that it plans to invest more than

$700 million in a new drug manufacturing facility in North Carolina, the latest drugmaker to

expand its presence in the United States amid President Donald Trump's tariff policies.

The new facility, based in Holly Springs, North Carolina, will support Roche and its

unit Genentech's future portfolio of next-generation obesity medicines.

Roche acquired rights to petrelintide, an obesity therapy from Denmark's Zealand Pharma

in March. This therapy is currently undergoing mid-stage clinical trials.

Roche's obesity pipeline also includes experimental obesity and diabetes drugs from its

acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics in 2023.

"This initial investment could expand in the future, based on business needs and the U.S.

policy environment," the company said in a statement.

Roche in April said it would invest $50 billion in the United States over the next five

years, with plans to create more than 12,000 new jobs.

This announcement is part of a broader trend of massive investments by drugmakers such

as Eli Lilly ( LLY ), Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) and Gilead that have also recently

pledged additional investments to boost domestic production in response to President Trump's

tariff policies.

The Trump administration has been pressuring U.S. drugmakers to relocate production

domestically. Last week, President Trump signed an executive order to expedite pharmaceutical

plant approvals, encouraging U.S.-based manufacturing.

Trump also said he

plans to sign

an executive order on prescription drug pricing on Monday that aims to align the United

States with what other countries pay, a move he said on social media could result in a 59%

reduction in drug prices.