British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has announced that it will invest $50 billion in the US amid the approaching deadline for Washington to increase tariffs.

Much of the money will be invested in the construction of a billion-dollar manufacturing center in Virginia, according to a company statement quoted by AFP.

The same statement adds that by 2030, 50% of its revenue is expected to come from the US.

"Today's announcement reinforces our belief in America's innovation in biopharmaceuticals," said CEO Pascal Soriot.

US President Donald Trump has opened the door to potential tariffs on pharmaceutical products, which until now have been exempt from his sweeping import taxes on trading partners.

He ordered an investigation into pharmaceutical imports, hinting that tariffs could reach 200%.

The United States is a key market for the pharmaceutical industry, and AstraZeneca already announced in April that it had begun transferring part of its European production to the US.

"For decades, Americans have relied on foreign supplies of key pharmaceutical products," said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lute.

He added that the new tariffs were aimed at "ending this structural weakness."

The announcement also mentions a new factory in Virginia, which will be the company's "largest single manufacturing investment."

Other large pharmaceutical companies that had been exempt from tariffs for 30 years have begun shifting their investments and production to the US in recent months. | BGNES