Eli Lilly today broke ground on a $3.5 billion manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.
The site is one of 10 new U.S. manufacturing sites announced since 2020 and one of four among them dedicated to injectable medicines and devices. Part of the company's $50 billion push to expand medicine production in the U.S., the Lehigh Valley site will add capacity for the next generation of obesity treatments, including retatrutide, a first-in-class investigational GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon triple hormone receptor agonist.
Lilly said it is currently hiring in the Lehigh Valley and expects the new facility to create 850 jobs like engineers, scientists, operations personnel and lab technicians – along with approximately 2,000 construction jobs as the site is built and brought online.
"Today marks another historic milestone in Pennsylvania's thriving life sciences sector and reinforces my Administration's commitment to advancing innovation, strengthening the economy, and creating good-paying jobs across the Commonwealth. We secured this historic, life-changing investment thanks to Pennsylvania's world-class workforce, research institutions, infrastructure, and resources, and my Administration will continue working hard to ensure Pennsylvania remains a place where groundbreaking discoveries can translate into meaningful economic opportunities and results for patients and families," said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro in a statement.
The Lehigh Valley will use 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.
The facility will be built and operated to the highest standards for safety, quality and environmental stewardship, and Lilly is committed to being a good neighbor in Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania. The site is targeting a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, demonstrating Lilly's focus on sustainable performance as it expands advanced manufacturing in the U.S.
The Lehigh Valley site, located in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, is expected to be operational by 2031.
