Johnson & Johnson to invest $2B in North Carolina plant as Trump's 250% drug tariffs loom

Group 1 - Johnson & Johnson announced a $2 billion investment to build a factory in North Carolina to enhance domestic production in response to potential tariffs on pharmaceutical imports [1][6][4] - The investment aligns with similar commitments from Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca to expand US manufacturing operations due to proposed import duties by the Trump administration [1][6] - The partnership with Fujifilm Diosynth will span over 160,000 square feet and is expected to create approximately 120 new jobs [3] Group 2 - President Trump outlined a phased approach for pharmaceutical tariffs, starting with small initial tariffs and potentially reaching up to 250% [2][5] - The Trump administration initiated a Section 232 national security investigation into pharmaceutical imports to assess the risks of reliance on foreign drug manufacturing [7] - Recent developments included an agreement to cap pharmaceutical tariffs on EU imports at 15%, significantly reducing earlier threats [7][8]