Eli Lilly said it would spend $4.5 billion on a game-changing facility, the Lilly Medicine Foundry which would be dedicated to discovery and improvement of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. It is focused on new method development that maximizes efficiency, a plan that already seems to be paying off in obesity and weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound.
The Lilly Medicine Foundry will be researching advanced manufacturing techniques while applying these techniques at the same time in the production of drugs for clinical trials. According to Eli Lilly’s Chief Executive Officer, David Ricks, this facility stands out particularly in bridging a gap between laboratory research and large-scale production. The idea is to take molecules from a bench in a lab to scaled for medicines in a pharmacy, and this research and development site will do that work,” he said in an interview with Inside INdiana Business at the company’s Indianapolis headquarters.
It is set to begin in late 2027, but designed to produce small molecules, biologics, and genetic medicines. Located just a few miles from a $9 billion production facility Eli Lilly is building in Lebanon, Ind., dedicated to creating pharmaceutical ingredients — many of them, it’s safe to assume, since tirzepatide serves as the active ingredient in both Mounjaro and Zepbound.
It will be a huge investment as Eli Lilly has taken the step forward to increase and cash in on the success, it is witnessing with GLP-1 drugs as these are turning into some of the most sought drugs and into fads, very much like its competitors from the line of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy. Analysts say Mounjaro and Zepbound will touch $50 billion by the end of 2028. Beyond the company’s current product line, Lilly is exploring opportunities related to Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS. “There are plenty of opportunities to advance human health that are hiding in plain sight.” says Dr. Dan Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer. He said that while competitors focused on catching up on obesity and Alzheimer’s research, Lilly was going where no one had gone before.
Lilly will concentrate on breakthrough ideas in the fields of oncology and immunology but the company will also spend in new areas, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, and hearing loss. Ricks brought up neuroscience as an increasingly important field in the future for the company, pointing to how the area has contributed to mental health and how it is in the past three years showing more breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s. “Neuropsych is a huge unmet need,” he said, confirming Lilly’s commitment to investing significantly in this crucial area.
