Trump Makes Announcement on Drug Packaging Initiative [video]

President Donald Trump announces Thursday a new initiative on the glass packaging of pharmaceuticals.President Trump told reporters that Merck, Pfizer, and Corning have decided to move all of their pharmaceutical glass packaging manufacturing to the United States through a joint initial investment of over $500 million to build facilities in New York, New Jersey and a plant to be determined later in the Southeastern United States.

The president told reporters that Merck, Pfizer, and Corning have decided to move all of their pharmaceutical glass packaging manufacturing to the United States through a joint initial investment of over $500 million to build facilities in New York, New Jersey and a plant to be determined later in the Southeastern United States.

“These three companies are announcing that pharmaceutical glass packaging will now be made in America,” Trump said. “We’re very proud of that. Thank you very much, by the way. And I know they wouldn’t have done it under another administration.”

The investment will initially create almost 1,000 jobs for Americans that would otherwise have gone overseas. The total investment is expected to be up to $4 billion and create as many as 4,000 American jobs.

The new facilities are being built to manufacture an innovative approach to the packaging of pharmaceuticals. The new package designs will make drug delivery safer for patients and care givers.

“Merck is proud to have collaborated with Corning and Pfizer to modernize pharmaceutical glass packaging,” a Merck representative told reporters. “Many Merck engineers and scientists worked side-by-side with Corning’s glass experts to make this exceptional new glass a reality.”

A demonstration during the announcement showed the strength of Corning’s new “Valor Glass.” The new material withstood more than 10 times the force that it took to break a conventional one and the Valor vial did not rupture.

The new material requires new facilities for its manufacture and the initiative will create almost 1,000 jobs for Americans at the start. The total investment is expected to total up to $4 billion and create as many as 4,000 American jobs.

“This initiative will bring a key industry to our shores that for too long has been dominated by foreign countries,” President Trump said. “We’re moving more and more companies back into the United States, and they’re doing more and more of these products. And that would have been unheard of even a couple of years ago.”