Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) has unveiled its plans to invest $4.5bn in a new facility, dubbed Lilly Medicine Foundry, for advanced manufacturing and drug development.
The Medicine Foundry will be built in Indiana’s LEAP Research and Innovation District in Lebanon, Indiana, and expand the company’s investment there to more than $13bn.
It would combine research and manufacturing in a single location, allowing Lilly to research new methods for producing medicines while scaling up the manufacturing for clinical trials.
Once operational, Medicine Foundry is expected to create 400 full-time jobs for highly skilled workers including engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and lab technicians.
Lilly said the State of Indiana is committed to supporting the new site with infrastructure improvements for roads, water, electricity, and other utilities, along with economic incentives.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb said: “Lilly’s continued investment in Indiana solidifies our state’s role as a hub for cutting-edge science and technology.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities Lilly’s Medicine Foundry will bring to communities throughout our great state.”
Lilly chair and CEO David Ricks said: “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.
“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 would help Lilly develop advanced solutions to optimise manufacturing processes, increase capacity for clinical trial medicines, and reduce costs and carbon footprint.
Its flexible design would allow the production of various molecular therapies, including drug substances for small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acid therapies.
Lilly will transfer the new technologies developed at the Medicine Foundry to other manufacturing sites for full-scale production.
The location of the new facility in LEAP will support close collaboration with its teams in Indianapolis and manufacturing sites in Lebanon, said the US drugmaker.
Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg said: “Lilly’s increased investment in Indiana is creating tremendous new career opportunities for Hoosiers.
“The LEAP district in Lebanon is quickly becoming an international destination, with $18bn in committed capital investment on 2,300 acres since its launch in 2022. LEAP and the Hardtech Corridor are attracting global leaders, talent and innovation to Indiana.”
