Eli Lilly has announced that it is investing $4.5bn into a new US facility for advanced manufacturing and drug development.
The Lilly Medicine Foundry will give the company the ability to research new ways of producing medicines, while also scaling up manufacturing of medicines for clinical trials, Lilly said.
The new centre will be located within the LEAP Research and Innovation District in Lebanon, Indiana and is expected to add 400 full-time jobs for highly skilled workers once fully operational.
It has been designed to enable production of various molecular therapies, including drug substances for small molecules, biologics and nucleic acid therapies, the company outlined, adding that new technologies developed at the facility will be transferred to its other manufacturing sites for full-scale production.
Lilly’s chair and chief executive officer, David Ricks, said: “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 investment adds to Lilly’s previous $9m manufacturing commitments in Indiana. The company first announced plans to invest $2.1bn into two new manufacturing sites in 2022, with the aim of expanding its capacity for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and new therapeutic modalities, and later committed an additional $1.6bn into the facilities.
Earlier this year, the company announced a further $5.3bn investment to enhance the capacity to manufacture APIs for its latest diabetes and obesity medicines.
Commenting on the latest announcement, Indiana governor, Eric Holcomb, said: “For nearly 150 years, Lilly has been committed to growing its roots and reach in Indiana, cultivating local talent, and driving scientific advancements that benefit patients around the world.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities Lilly’s Medicine Foundry will bring to communities throughout our great state.”
The investment comes just a few weeks after Lilly entered into a multi-year agreement worth up to $1bn with HAYA Therapeutics to discover regulatory genome targets for obesity and related metabolic conditions.
The company also recently partnered with artificial intelligence-focused Genetic Leap to develop genetic medicines, with the research collaboration worth up to $409m.