Lilly chooses Pennsylvania for $3.5bn injectables manufacturing facility
Posted: 2 February 2026 | Catherine Eckford (European Pharmaceutical Review) | No comments yet
Investment in the Lehigh Valley site finalises the last of the pharma company’s four new US manufacturing plants, supporting its onshoring of domestic medicine production.
Rendering of Eli Lilly's new Lehigh Valley facility (Credit: Eli Lilly)
Lilly has finalised plans for the fourth of its quartet of new US manufacturing sites, picking a location in Lehigh Valley, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania.
The new $3.5 billion facility will produce devices alongside injectable medicines such as retatrutide, a first-in-class investigational GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon triple hormone receptor agonist.
Alabama was Eli Lilly’s most recently announced US location, with Texas and Virginia preceding this. All sites except Virginia are earmarked to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for GLP-1 peptides, helping to strengthen the company’s medicines supply chain.
The Pennsylvania site is intended to bolster Eli Lilly’s domestic medicine production, aligning with the US government’s push to onshore such activities.
Edgardo Hernandez, Executive Vice President and President of Lilly Manufacturing Operations, said: “Lilly Lehigh Valley – our newest injectable medicine and device manufacturing facility – will increase access to next-generation weight-loss treatments and improve the domestic supply of essential medicines for current and future patients.”
Lilly Lehigh Valley – our newest injectable medicine and device manufacturing facility – will increase access to next-generation weight-loss treatments and improve the domestic supply of essential medicines for current and future patients”
The announcement is part of the firm’s planned $50 billion investment in its US manufacturing operations since 2020, and thus far represents the largest US pharmaceutical manufacturing investment.
The new plant will leverage advanced technologies, including AI, machine learning, integrated monitoring and data analytics, to enhance the operational efficiency and support medicine supply.
It will also create 850 new pharmaceutical jobs, including engineers, scientists, operations personnel and lab technicians.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman added: “Pennsylvania continues to be a leader in health care innovation, and I will always support companies like Lilly making major investments to advance these technologies. I am proud to support their new $3.5bn manufacturing facility that will deliver hundreds of good jobs and produce critical medicine for our Commonwealth.”
The new facility is expected to be ready for production in 2031.
Related topics
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API), Drug Manufacturing, Drug Supply Chain, Industry Insight, Manufacturing, Therapeutics
