Dive Brief:
- Eli Lilly said it plans to build a $5 billion manufacturing facility outside of Richmond, Virginia, focused on cancer and autoimmune treatments.
- Located in Goochland County, the site will make ingredients for Lilly’s antibody-drug conjugate treatments, which target potent medicines directly to diseased cells, according to a news release.
- It is expected to create 650 jobs, including roles for engineers, scientists, lab technicians and other personnel. Construction is slated to finish within the next five years.
Dive Insight:
The Virginia location is part of Lilly’s broader pledge to invest $50 billion in projects that bolster its domestic medicine production. The Indianapolis-based company plans to unveil the locations of three more U.S. manufacturing sites this year.
“By expanding our domestic capacity, we're building a secure, resilient supply chain that delivers for patients today and supports the breakthrough medicines of tomorrow,” Lilly CEO David Ricks said in a statement.
In addition to facility jobs, the project is expected to support 1,800 construction jobs. Lilly estimated that for every dollar invested, up to four dollars will be generated by the local economy.
Support for Lilly's job creation will be provided, in part, through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program. The program was created by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in collaboration with higher education partners.
Lilly considered hundreds of applications before landing on Goochland County. It evaluated factors such as workforce potential, local incentives, easy access to utilities and transportation, as well as favorable zoning.
Lilly will be eligible for a special appropriation of up to $130 million based on the company’s initial plans to invest $2.15 billion in the Goochland project with the goal of creating 468 jobs, according to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office. The project has since doubled in value. The appropriation is subject to approval by the Virginia General Assembly.
The 150-year-old pharmaceutical giant has more than 49,000 employees around the world, with nearly half of them based in the United States. Its domestic manufacturing facilities are located in Indiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.
Lilly’s plans underscore a growing trend among pharmaceutical giants investing in the U.S. to bring their supply chains closer to the markets they serve as the Trump administration’s tariffs pressure global operations. This week, U.K.-based company GSK committed $30 billion to bolster U.S. research and manufacturing over the next five years.
