U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he met with the CEO of Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG, Vas Narasimhan, at the White House on Wednesday local time. During a speech to workers at a steel plant in Rome, Georgia, on Thursday, Trump claimed that Narasimhan informed him during the meeting that his company is building 11 factories in the United States due to tariff policies.

A spokesperson for Novartis responded to the news, stating: "We were pleased to have the opportunity to update the U.S. government on our progress, including the recent groundbreaking of manufacturing and research facilities in North Carolina and California, and plans to establish a new facility in Florida to expand our radioligand therapy manufacturing network." The spokesperson's statement did not provide any details regarding the number of facilities Novartis plans to build in the U.S.

Last year, following threats from the Trump administration to impose tariffs on drug imports, Novartis announced plans to invest $23 billion in building and expanding 10 facilities in the United States.