Eli Lilly is planning to invest a whopping $4.5 billion to build a new center in Indiana to facilitate research, innovation and manufacturing of new drugs.

The Lilly Medicine Foundry, which is the first-ever facility of its kind, will thus help bring research and manufacturing under one roof and allow the company to use latest technology 'to innovate new production methods' and 'scale global access to clinical supply' for its growing pipeline, the American pharmaceutical company, said in a statement.

The new facility, which will be operational by end of 2027, will thus help increase the company's total capital commitment in the country to more than $23 billion since 2020. While developing innovative solutions to improve manufacturing processes, the center located in LEAP Research and Innovation District in Lebanon, Indiana, is also expected to help increase the production capacity of clinical trial medicines with lower costs, leaving a low impact on the environment. 

 "As we accelerate our work to discover new medicines for the toughest diseases, we're continuing to invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure to support our growing pipeline," said CEO of Lilly David A. Ricks. "In addition to supplying high-quality medicine for our clinical studies, this new complex will further strengthen our process development and scale up our manufacturing capabilities to speed delivery of next-generation medicines to patients around the world." 

The new site is expected to increase the company's output by 400 percent, Reuters quoted Lilly's CEO Ricks as saying during an interview with CNBC. "The flexible design of this new facility will enable production of various molecular therapies, including drug substances for small molecules, biologics and nucleic acid therapies," the company said, adding that it is planning to send new technologies developed at the center to its different manufacturing sites for full-scale production.

Interestingly, the Lilly Medicine Foundry, is expected to provide job opportunities to 400 highly skilled workers like scientists, engineers, lab technicians and operations personnel. "Lilly's continued investment in Indiana solidifies our state's role as a hub for cutting-edge science and technology," Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb said.

"I couldn't be more excited about the opportunities Lilly's Medicine Foundry will bring to communities throughout our great state," he added. Eli Lilly, founded in 1876, is credited for introducing world's first commercial insulin in 1923. Having a total of more than 45,000 employees working across the world and its products being marketed to more than 100 countries, it has more than 52 different drugs for different conditions (diabetes, obesity, cancer, immunology and neuroscience) to its credit.

In May 2024, the company invested $9 billion to improve its capacity to manufacture an active ingredient called tirzepatide required for the production of its obesity and diabetes drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro, respectively. Last year, Lilly's diabetes drug Trulicity generated a revenue of $ 7.1 billion, with another diabetes drug  named Mounjaro closely ($ 5.1 billion) following it.