GSK announces £22bn US investment as Trump's state visit coincides with pharma shifts in UK

GlaxoSmithKline said it will invest $30 billion in research and development and supply‑chain infrastructure in the United States over the next five years — a commitment the company described in UK reporting as equivalent to about £22 billion — in an announcement timed to coincide with a state visit to Britain by US President Donald Trump.

GSK said the US package will include roughly £880 million for projects such as a new factory for asthma medicines in Pennsylvania and the roll‑out of artificial intelligence technologies at sites in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland and Montana. The company said it will also continue to invest in its UK operations, committing to more than £1.5 billion a year in UK R&D and to maintaining a "significant manufacturing base" in Britain.

Chief executive Emma Walmsley said the timing reflected the ties between the two countries. "This week's state visit brings together two countries that have led the world in science and healthcare innovation. We are proud to be part of both," she said, adding GSK was not "turning its back on the UK."

The announcement comes amid a difficult period for Britain's pharmaceutical sector. In recent weeks AstraZeneca suspended plans for a roughly £200 million research facility in Cambridge that had aimed to create about 1,000 jobs, and US drugmaker Merck, which operates as MSD in the UK, scrapped a proposed £1 billion London research centre and cut 125 roles.

Tom Keith‑Roach, president of AstraZeneca UK, told MPs that the country was becoming an "increasingly challenging" place for medicine innovation. The sector group the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has warned that the UK is falling behind peer nations in the share of healthcare spending directed toward developing new medicines.

Those concerns have been amplified by government policy. Industry executives and trade groups point to an NHS rebate scheme that requires drugs companies to repay 23.5% of the money they earn from sales to the NHS, a mechanism the government argues helps control public spending on medicines.

GSK framed its US investment as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its global research and production footprint. The company said the funding will support clinical research, manufacturing capacity and digital capabilities, including the application of AI tools intended to accelerate drug development and streamline operations across multiple sites.

Analysts noted the size of the US commitment but said its potential impact on the UK will depend on how much research and high‑value manufacturing GSK chooses to site outside Britain. The company’s continued pledges of annual UK R&D spending and ongoing manufacturing work were presented as reassurance to employees and local stakeholders.

The move follows a period in which several major drugmakers have reconsidered or reduced UK investments, a trend that has prompted scrutiny from lawmakers and industry bodies about the competitiveness of Britain’s life sciences environment. Policymakers and executives have cited a mix of regulatory, fiscal and market factors in explaining companies' investment decisions.

GSK did not provide a detailed project-by-project timetable for the $30 billion package beyond naming the Pennsylvania factory and the states earmarked for AI deployments. The company said it expects the investments to be made over the next five years and that further announcements would follow as specific plans are finalised.