Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. announced Monday that it plans to build a $3 billion manufacturing site in the Netherlands to produce oral medications, including its highly anticipated GLP-1 pill for weight loss, orforglipron.
The planned new facility in the Leiden Bio Science Park in Katwijk, the Netherlands, is expected to create about 500 jobs such as engineers, scientists, operators and lab technicians to the South Holland province. The project also will add roughly 1,500 jobs during construction.
Lilly did not disclose a timeline for building and completing the project. The company said its investment is contingent upon finalization of government permits and local approvals.
Lilly said the new facility will strengthen its global supply chain and incorporate advanced manufacturing technology for oral solid medicines in cardiometabolic health, neurosciences, oncology and immunology.
Among those is orforglipron, which had promising Phase 3 clinical results for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. Lilly plans to submit the drug to global regulatory authorities for approval by the end of the year for the treatment of obesity.
“With extensive investment already underway in the U.S., our planned expansion in Europe further strengthens our ability to deliver medicines to patients worldwide,” Lilly CEO David Ricks said in written remarks. “Localized manufacturing ensures we can quickly respond to meet regional demand and accelerate distribution within Europe.”
Lilly already has European manufacturing sites in France, Ireland, Italy and Spain. Lilly said that to meet the growing need for its medications, it has shared plans for three additional European Union sites since 2020, with new sites in Ireland, Germany and now the Netherlands.
Lilly cited a recent ranking by KPMG on behalf of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands, which placed the Netherlands sixth among 32 nations in terms of business climate for life sciences companies.
“At Lilly, we are investing in next-generation manufacturing facilities around the world to ensure our medicines are made and distributed closer to the communities and patients we serve,” Edgardo Hernandez, president of Lilly Manufacturing Operations, said in written remarks.
Most of Lilly’s recent manufacturing headlines have focused on bolstering its U.S. capacity.
Monday’s announcement comes just days after Lilly said it would spend $1.2 billion to expand its manufacturing site in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.
As part of its $50 billion capital investment commitment to U.S. manufacturing that began in 2020, Lilly has said it will spend $27 billion on four new manufacturing facilities in the United States. Already this year the company announced a new $6.5 billion plant in Texas and a $5 billion plant in Virginia. Lilly said it would announce two additional U.S. locations in the coming months.