Rendering of the planned facility in the Netherlands. [Image courtesy of Eli Lilly]
Located within the Leiden Bio Science Park, the new project aims to expand Lilly’s capacity to produce oral medicines. The company also hopes to strengthen its global supply chain with the new plant.
Indianapolis-based Lilly says it plans for the facility to incorporate advanced manufacturing technology. It wants to meet the needs of its growing portfolio of oral solid medicines in cardiometabolic health, neuroscience, oncology and immunology. New capabilities include dock-to-dock automation and material flow, paperless manufacturing, process analytical technology and spray-dried dispersion, allowing for the effective absorption of oral medicines.
Lilly intends for the new site to manufacture orforglipron — its first oral, small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist — as well. It expects to submit orforglipron to global regulatory agencies for obesity by the end of this year.
The new facility will bring 500 high-wage jobs to the South Holland province, Lilly says. Those jobs include roles for highly skilled engineers, scientists, operations personnel and lab technicians. The company expects the construction efforts to create 1,500 jobs as well.
This announcement follows recent expansions in the U.S. as well and its territories as well. Earlier this year, the company announced its plans to bolster domestic medicine production across therapeutic areas. That included the building of four new pharmaceutical sites in the U.S. Recent expansions include investments in Virginia and Texas, then one in Puerto Rico last week.
Lilly said this bolsters its strong manufacturing footprint in Europe. It already has four existing sites in France, Ireland, Italy and Spain. It also shared plans for three new EU sites, including locations in Ireland, Germany and, now, the Netherlands. The company expects the latest investments to create operational synergies and supply chain flexibility.
Commentary from Eli Lilly officials
David A. Ricks, Lilly chair and CEO, said:
“With extensive investments already underway in the U.S., our planned expansion in Europe further strengthens our ability to deliver medicines to patients worldwide. Localized manufacturing ensures we can quickly respond to meet regional demand and accelerate distribution within Europe. Leiden Bio Science Park offers access to a skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure and proven pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities. We look forward to working closely with the EU, national and local governments to create a more favorable and predictable policy environment open to fully harnessing innovative medicines to deliver faster access to patients.”
Edgardo Hernandez, EVP and president of Lilly Manufacturing Operations, said:
“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. Expanding our capabilities in Europe strengthens our global supply chain and reflects our commitment to getting innovative treatments to patients who need them. Additionally, with each new facility we are building, we find ways to continue to minimize our environmental footprint – assuring carbon neutrality in our operations and generating zero waste to landfills.”
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