Eli Lilly and Company has announced an additional investment of $5.3 billion to increase active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing capacity at its site in Lebanon, Indiana, which more than doubles its current investment of $3.7 billion at the site to bring its total investment to $9 billion.  

The expansion will increase API manufacturing capacity for its glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for treating Type 2 diabetes and Zepbound (tirzepatide) for treating obesity/weight management.  

Since 2020, Lilly has committed more than $16 billion to develop new manufacturing sites in the US and Europe. New locations outside Indiana include Research Triangle Park and Concord, North Carolina; Limerick, Ireland; and Alzey, Germany. Separately, the company has invested an additional $1.2 billion to update existing manufacturing facilities in Indianapolis and recently acquired an injectable manufacturing facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, from Nexus Pharmaceuticals. Together, these manufacturing investments total more than $18 billion. 

Lilly first began a manufacturing expansion in 2020 for tirzepatide, the API in Mounjaro and Zepbound based on the research results for tirzepatide. The company made this strategic investment decision at risk so that upon the approval of Mounjaro (2022) and Zepbound (2023), it could make these medicines available, and since then, demand for these products has been high.  

With its most recent investment, Lilly expects to add 200 full-time jobs for workers such as engineers, scientists, operating personnel and lab technicians, resulting in an estimated 900 full-time employees when the facility is fully operational. The company expects to begin making medicines in Lebanon toward the end of 2026 – with operations scaling up through 2028.   

Source: Eli Lilly and Company