Lilly Announces New $4.5 Billion Site
Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) recently announced a $4.5 billion (€4.07 billion) investment to create the Lilly Medicine Foundry, a new center for advanced manufacturing and drug development.
The facility will enable Lilly to research new methods of producing medicines and scale up manufacturing for clinical trials. The first-ever facility of its kind, combining research and manufacturing in a single location, the Medicine Foundry will be located in Indiana’s LEAP Research and Innovation District in Lebanon, Indiana, expanding the company’s investment in the area to over $13 billion (€11.75 billion).
"As we accelerate our work to discover new medicines for the toughest diseases, we're continuing to invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure to support our growing pipeline," said David A. Ricks, Lilly's chair and CEO. "In addition to supplying high-quality medicine for our clinical studies, this new complex will further strengthen our process development and scale up our manufacturing capabilities to speed delivery of next-generation medicines to patients around the world."
The Medicine Foundry will enable Lilly to develop innovative manufacturing solutions, increase capacity for clinical trial medicines, and reduce costs and environmental impact. This flexible facility will produce various molecular therapies and transfer new technologies to other Lilly sites. Located in Indiana’s LEAP Research and Innovation District, it will support collaboration with Lilly Research Laboratories in Indianapolis and manufacturing sites in Lebanon. Indiana will provide infrastructure improvements and economic incentives, and the facility is expected to create 400 full-time jobs.
This new facility will add to Lilly's previous manufacturing commitments in Lebanon:
- In May 2022, Lilly announced plans to invest $2.1 billion (€1.9 billion) in two new manufacturing sites in Lebanon to expand its network for active ingredients and new modalities, such as genetic medicines.
- In April 2023, Lilly broke ground on these facilities and announced an additional $1.6 billion (€1.45 billion) investment.
- In May 2024, Lilly announced an additional $5.3 billion (€4.79 billion) commitment to enhance capacity to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients for its latest diabetes and obesity medicines. This milestone marked the largest single investment in active pharmaceutical ingredients production in U.S. history.
