Eli Lilly and Company broke ground on a USD 3.5 billion manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, located in Fogelsville.

The site is dedicated to producing injectable medicines, including retatrutide, a first-in-class investigational GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon triple hormone receptor agonist aimed at obesity treatment.

Part of a USD 50 Billion U.S. Manufacturing Expansion

The Lehigh Valley facility is one of 10 new U.S. manufacturing sites Lilly has announced since 2020 and one of four among them dedicated to injectable medicines and devices.

The investment forms part of the company's USD 50 billion push to expand medicine production in the United States, adding capacity for the next generation of obesity treatments.

"Obesity is one of the biggest health challenges of our time, and the science to treat it is moving quickly," said David A. Ricks, Lilly Chair and CEO.

"Retatrutide is one of several next-generation medicines we're developing that could help millions more people living with obesity, type 2 diabetes, or both. This USD 3.5 billion investment means we'll be able to make these medicines in Pennsylvania for people here at home and around the world."

Job Creation and Advanced Manufacturing

The facility is expected to create 850 high-wage jobs, including positions for engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and lab technicians, along with approximately 2,000 construction jobs as the site is built and brought online. Lilly is currently hiring in the Lehigh Valley.

The site will pair a highly skilled workforce with advanced technologies and specialized manufacturing, using state-of-the-art technologies including machine learning, AI, digitally integrated systems, and advanced data analytics to drive right-first-time execution, with digital automation embedded throughout the site to streamline operations.

"Before a dose of medicine leaves one of our sites, each production run goes through more than 5,000 documented steps, and each unit is imaged and inspected more than 70 times to check for defects," said Edgardo Hernandez, Executive Vice President and President of Lilly Manufacturing Operations.

"Lehigh Valley will build on that discipline with next-generation automation and digital systems so we can do things right the first time and help patients count on their medicines for years to come, made in Pennsylvania."

State and Local Support

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called the groundbreaking "another historic milestone in Pennsylvania's thriving life sciences sector," attributing the investment to the state's workforce, research institutions, infrastructure, and resources.

U.S. Senator Dave McCormick described the investment as "another major win for Pennsylvania, bringing 850 high-paying jobs, strengthening American manufacturing, and cementing the Commonwealth's position" as a leader in the industry.

Jeff Fleischaker, Chairman of the Upper Macungie Township Board of Supervisors, said the township's Board, staff, and residents are excited to welcome Lilly to the community.

Community Commitment

As part of its community commitment, Lilly will provide up to USD 1 million over five years to the Upper Macungie Township Community Fund to support an anticipated new initiative at the Upper Macungie Community Center.

The initiative is intended to develop a new quality-of-life program for Lehigh Valley families, with a focus on nutrition and healthy living, fresh food access, health resources, and community programming.

Sustainability and Quality Standards

The facility will be built and operated to standards for safety, quality, and environmental stewardship and is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, which Lilly says demonstrates its focus on sustainable performance as it expands advanced manufacturing in the U.S.

The Lehigh Valley site is expected to be operational by 2031.

Lilly's Broader U.S. Site Network

The 10 U.S. sites Lilly has announced since 2020 include five that will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients: Richmond, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; Houston, Texas; and two sites in Lebanon, Indiana, Lebanon API and Lilly Medicine Foundry, the latter of which will also focus on new production methods and making medicines for clinical trials.

Four sites will make injectable medicines and manufacture devices: Research Triangle Park and Concord, North Carolina; Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. One site, Lebanon Advanced Therapies in Lebanon, Indiana, will make genetic medicines.

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