Feb 25 (Reuters) – Novartis said on Wednesday it intends to build a radioligand therapy manufacturing site in Texas, ‌expanding its U.S. footprint with what will be ‌its first such facility in the state and fifth nationwide.

The investment is ​part of the Swiss drugmaker’s previously announced plan to spend $23 billion to build and expand facilities in the U.S., as global drugmakers rush to shore up their domestic manufacturing ‌capacity and inventory in ⁠response to the Trump administration’s hefty tariffs on pharmaceutical imports into the country.

“The addition of ⁠our fifth RLT manufacturing site in the U.S. strengthens our ability to meet growing demand, building the capabilities needed ​to deliver ​these next-generation treatments with the ​speed and precision they ‌require,” Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said.

Radioligand therapy is a targeted cancer treatment that delivers radiation directly to tumor cells. Novartis already markets radioligand drugs Pluvicto for prostate cancer and Lutathera for rare gastrointestinal tumors.

The construction of the 46,000-square-foot ‌site at Denton, Texas will begin ​this year, and it is ​likely to become fully ​operational in 2028, the company said. The ‌site is expected to create ​jobs in bioengineering, ​advanced manufacturing, quality and operations, it said.

The Texas plant will add to Novartis’ existing network of RLT sites ​that spans ‌New Jersey, Indiana and California, along with a recently ​announced facility in Florida.

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in ​Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)