Like its pharma peers, Novartis is pouring money into Chinese operations, including expansions and upgrades at an existing manufacturing facility.
On the heels of multi-billion-dollar China commitments from Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca, Novartis has vowed to invest 3.3 billion Chinese yuan ($480 million) to strengthen its capacity to develop and manufacture medicines in China.
The Swiss drugmaker said it will launch a large-scale investment plan in the Asian nation this year. A facility in Beijing’s Changping district, which Novartis established in 1987, is central to the expansion plan. The facility has a maximum annual production capacity of 3 billion tablets or capsules and 550 million boxes of packaging, making it a key node in Novartis’ global manufacturing and supply network.
Novartis plans to invest about 1.5 billion Chinese yuan ($218 million) in a round of expansion and upgrade projects at the site. The spending will support the construction of factory buildings and supporting facilities, as well as the introduction of production technologies and equipment related to aseptic preparation processes, liquid filling and packaging.
The company committed a further 1.8 billion Chinese yuan ($262 million) to expand its China headquarters in Shanghai. Having opened the site 10 years ago, Novartis plans to use the money to launch the second phase of the Shanghai campus project.
Novartis’ investment commitment follows pledges to China by its Big Pharma peers. As the U.K. sought to reset relations with China early this year, AstraZeneca vowed to invest $15 billion in the country by the end of the decade. AstraZeneca recently named a commercial cell therapy manufacturing base in a free trade zone in Shanghai as part of its expansion plan in China.
Earlier this month, Lilly committed $3 billion to its China operations over the next 10 years. The spending will support the company’s efforts to meet anticipated demand for orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 receptor analog that could win approval in the U.S. in the next few weeks. Lilly has filed for approval in China.
Novartis made its investment commitment at the China Development Forum 2026, which concluded in Beijing on Monday. Reuters reported that a higher share of U.S. corporate leaders traveled to Beijing for the event than in previous years. Lilly CEO David Ricks and Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan were among the pharma leaders in attendance.
Novartis used the event to recommend changes to the regulation of radiopharmaceuticals, an important modality for the company. The recommendations included creating technical standards and optimizing localization production policies. Novartis is building a manufacturing plant in China to ensure a stable supply of its radioligand therapies, including Pluvicto, which earned a label expansion in March 2025 to treat certain prostate cancers before chemotherapy.
