LEBANON, Indiana, United States – May 6, 2026
Eli Lilly and Company has announced an additional $4.5 billion investment across its manufacturing operations in Indiana, bringing the company’s total capital expansion commitments in its home state to more than $21 billion since 2020. The announcement coincides with the opening of Lilly Lebanon Advanced Therapies, the company’s first dedicated genetic medicine manufacturing facility, designed to support both clinical and commercial-scale production of advanced therapies targeting diseases at the genetic level. The latest expansion further strengthens Lilly’s position as one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the United States while accelerating production capacity for obesity, diabetes, and next-generation genetic medicines.
First Dedicated Genetic Medicine Facility Opens
Lilly Lebanon Advanced Therapies represents a major strategic milestone for the company as it enters large-scale manufacturing of genetic medicines and advanced therapies. The facility was specifically designed to support a broad range of genetic medicine modalities spanning early-stage research through commercial production. According to Lilly, the development required entirely new manufacturing processes due to the absence of established commercial precedents for several advanced therapeutic platforms.
The site becomes the first of three planned facilities on the Lebanon campus, alongside the future Lilly Lebanon API manufacturing site and the Lilly Medicine Foundry. The company stated that the facility will play a critical role in supporting future treatments aimed at preventing or modifying disease at the genetic level.
Obesity and Diabetes Manufacturing Expansion Accelerates
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A major portion of the new investment will support expanded production capacity for Lilly’s rapidly growing obesity and diabetes portfolio. The company confirmed that the Lebanon API facility will manufacture Zepbound® (tirzepatide) and Mounjaro® (tirzepatide), currently among the most widely prescribed injectable treatments for weight management and type 2 diabetes.
Lilly also announced plans to manufacture Foundayo™ (orforglipron), its recently approved once-daily oral obesity medication, as well as retatrutide, an investigational triple hormone receptor agonist currently in late-stage development for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. The expansion reflects surging global demand for obesity therapies, one of the fastest-growing pharmaceutical markets worldwide.
Largest API Manufacturing Site in U.S. History
Lilly stated that when the Lebanon API site becomes operational in 2027, it is expected to become the largest active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility in U.S. history. CEO David A. Ricks emphasized that the company is investing not only in drug discovery but also in building highly advanced domestic manufacturing infrastructure capable of supporting future medicine production at scale.
The company noted that its broader U.S. manufacturing expansion commitments have now exceeded $50 billion since 2020, driven by increasing medicine demand and supportive domestic manufacturing policies. Lilly plans to break ground on additional recently announced U.S. manufacturing projects later this year.
Indiana Strengthens Position as Life Sciences Hub
The investment further reinforces Indiana’s growing importance as a major U.S. life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing center. According to data referenced by Lilly from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, the company currently accounts for approximately 70% of Indiana’s pharmaceutical GDP, while every Lilly job supports more than two additional jobs across the state economy.
Lilly estimates that every dollar spent locally generates up to four dollars in broader economic activity. State officials highlighted that the continued expansion strengthens Indiana’s position across pharmaceutical innovation, advanced manufacturing, and global healthcare supply chains while creating high-value employment opportunities throughout the region.
Source: Eli Lilly press release
