Weight-loss drug "arms race" escalates: Eli Lilly (LLY.US) to launch US$3.5 billion new plant in 2031, capacity battle pieces moved in advance

Eli Lilly (LLY.US) held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania for a US$3.5 billion manufacturing center that will focus on next-generation weight-loss therapies. The facility in Fogelsville is expected to begin production in 2031, will employ 850 workers, and is expected to create about 2,000 construction jobs. The drugmaker will also provide up to US$1 million over five years to the Upper Macungie Township community fund to support an initiative to develop new quality-of-life programs for Lehigh Valley families. Since 2020, Eli Lilly has announced additional investment or new manufacturing sites in 10 locations across the United States. Five of them will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients, four will produce injectable drugs and manufacture devices, and one in Indiana will produce genetic medicines. In February 2025, the company said it would invest more than US$50 billion to expand domestic manufacturing capacity.