The German pharmaceutical company Bayer announced this Friday an investment plan of 2.2 billion dollars (almost 2 billion euros) to build a new production plant in the northeast of the United States.
The complex will be located in the town of New Albany, in the state of Ohio, and will concentrate both the manufacturing of pharmaceutical active ingredients and the final production of medications in a single location. According to the details provided by the company, the project will involve the creation of about 600 high-skilled jobs.
Meanwhile, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has praised the "success" of this investment in Ohio —where he is traveling to give a rally ahead of the 'midterms'— and has linked the German group's decision to his policy of "strict tariffs."
"This enormous success in the relocation of production is due to my strict pharmaceutical tariffs, which have resulted in more than 600 billion dollars (more than 530 billion euros) in new pharmaceutical investments and lower drug prices. Companies from around the world are investing in the United States," celebrated the occupant of the White House in a post on his social media.
Following that, Trump has again urged large international corporations to "invest, build, and hire in the United States," particularly encouraging pharmaceutical companies to "set fair prices for American patients" and warning that, if they do not, they will have to "face the consequences."
In parallel, the CEO of the multinational, Bill Anderson, has emphasized that the United States has been a "key manufacturing base and a center of innovation" for the group for years.
"The new center will house manufacturing capacity and skilled labor that will enhance our ability to supply innovative and high-quality medications to patients, both in the United States and abroad," he noted.
According to the DPA news agency, Bayer has allocated more than 7 billion dollars (more than 6 billion euros) to pharmaceutical research and development, as well as to production, in U.S. territory over the past five years.