Virginia serves as the chosen location for Lily's $5B API manufacturing facility, with a focus on Advanced Drug Conjugates (ADCs)
Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical giant, has announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Virginia's Goochland County. The facility, worth $5 billion, will be the first-ever dedicated, fully integrated active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and drug product facility for Lilly's bioconjugate platform and monoclonal antibody portfolio.
Edgardo Hernandez, executive vice president and president of Lilly Manufacturing Operations, stated, "This isn't just another manufacturing site-it represents a significant milestone for Lilly, as we begin building our first bioconjugate facility."
David A. Ricks, Lilly's chair and CEO, added that the investment in Virginia underscores their commitment to U.S. innovation and manufacturing. The facility will manufacture APIs for therapies designed to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other disorders, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
The project is expected to generate 1,800 construction jobs and more than 650 high-paying jobs, including positions for engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and lab technicians.
Lilly employs more than 49,000 people worldwide, with approximately half based in the United States. The company is investing heavily in expanding domestic production facilities, totaling $27 billion for capacity expansion in the US while planning announcements for three more US sites this year.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Goochland County, and the General Assembly's Major Employment and Investment (MEI) Project Approval Commission collaborated to secure the project for Virginia. Lilly is eligible for an MEI Commission-approved special appropriation of up to $130 million, contingent on approval by the Virginia General Assembly.
AstraZeneca has also announced plans for a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing plant in Virginia, marking the second pharma giant to do so in recent months. The location of the other three planned Eli Lilly factories to be announced by the end of the year have not yet been disclosed publicly, but Ricks expects two manufacturing site announcements during the current third quarter, including the Virginia site and a site yet to be announced.
Ricks has credited President Donald Trump's earlier 2017 tax cuts with enticing them to build their manufacturing sites in the United States. The Virginia BioHealth Capital Region, consisting of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., ranks number three in GEN's most recent A-List of Top 10 U.S. Biopharma Clusters, making it an attractive location for pharmaceutical companies.
Lilly has chosen the West Creek Business Park in Virginia's Goochland County for the API facility from "several hundred" applications, considering criteria such as workforce potential, utility access, transportation, zoning, and economic incentives. Lilly has manufacturing facilities in nine countries, including the United States, with sites in Indiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico.
The company plans to build the Goochland County API site within five years, marking a significant step forward in Lilly's commitment to U.S. manufacturing and innovation.
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