Eli Lilly has announced a $1.2bn investment to expand and modernise its Lilly del Caribe manufacturing site in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The investment will focus on integrating advanced technologies and increasing production capacity to support Lilly’s growing portfolio of oral solid medicines across cardiometabolic health, neuroscience, oncology and immunology. Planned upgrades include dock-to-dock automation and material flow, paperless manufacturing systems, process analytical technology, and spray-dried dispersion – a process that enhances the absorption of oral medicines.
The Puerto Rico facility will also be one of Lilly’s US manufacturing sites producing orforglipron, the company’s first oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. The company plans to submit orforglipron for global regulatory review as a treatment for obesity later this year.
Current estimates suggest that the project will create up to 1,000 construction jobs during the expansion, as well as 100 additional high-tech manufacturing positions once it is operational. Scholarships will be offered to local students in engineering, science, technology and business administration to support local bioscience growth.
“After sixty years, Lilly del Caribe continues to play an important role in making life-changing medicines for people in the US and beyond,” said Edgardo Hernandez, executive vice president and president of Lilly Manufacturing Operations. “Our continued investments in capacity, infrastructure, advanced technologies and highly specialised jobs will further cement the site’s significance in Lilly’s global manufacturing network. Our progress builds on the dedication and expertise of our local team, helping us deliver new medicines for patients around the world.”
The expansion forms part of Lilly’s broader $50bn capital investment programme to grow its US manufacturing and production footprint. Alongside Puerto Rico, the company has announced new sites in Texas and Virginia, with two additional US locations expected to be unveiled in the coming months.