Eli Lilly has announced a substantial increase in its manufacturing investment at its site in Lebanon, Indiana, US, committing an additional $5.3bn funding to enhance active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) manufacturing capacity.
This brings the total investment to $9bn from $3.7bn, aimed at expanding the capacity to produce APIs for tirzepatide injections, branded as Zepbound and Mounjaro.
Zepbound and Mounjaro are intended to treat adult patients with chronic conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Mounjaro received approval in 2022 while Zepbound was granted approval last year.
Lilly has planned over $16bn since 2020 to establish new manufacturing sites across the US and Europe, including in North Carolina, Ireland, and Germany.
The company also invested $1.2bn to modernise its current Indianapolis facilities and acquired a new manufacturing unit in Wisconsin from Nexus Pharmaceuticals.
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The combined manufacturing funding exceeded $18bn, the company noted.
The additional investment at the Lebanon site, part of the LEAP Research and Innovation District in Indiana, is anticipated to create 200 new full-time positions for skilled professionals, including engineers and scientists.
Once fully operational, the site will employ an estimated 900 people and generate over 5,000 construction jobs during development.
Lilly’s expansion is supported by the state through infrastructure improvements, workforce development initiatives and economic incentives linked to the company’s investment and employment targets.
Construction at the Lebanon site began last year, with the nearly 600-acre complex set to start producing medicines by the end of 2026 and scaling up works through 2028.
Eli Lilly chair and CEO David Ricks said: “The announcement tops the largest manufacturing investment in our company’s history and, we believe, represents the single largest investment in synthetic medicine API manufacturing in US history.
“This multi-site campus will make our latest medicines, including Zepbound and Mounjaro, support pipeline growth and leverage the latest technology and automation for maximum efficiency, safety and quality control. Importantly, we are investing in our home state of Indiana, creating high-wage, advanced manufacturing, engineering and science jobs for hundreds of current and future Hoosier families.”
The latest development comes after Lilly entered into a multi-target discovery collaboration agreement with Aktis Oncology expanding its scope in the radiopharmaceuticals space.
