Eli Lilly and Company has invested more than $20 billion in its manufacturing capabilities since 2020 to help meet high demand for its medicines. Its recently announced Lilly Medicine Foundry—which will support research and development efforts—is just the latest example of the ability to research new ways of producing medicines, while also scaling up manufacturing of medicines for clinical trials.
To boost production of medicines that can help people with conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and diabetes, Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) is investing heavily in an area key to its success: its research and advanced manufacturing facilities. Since 2020, the Indianapolis-based company has committed more than $20 billion to build, expand and acquire manufacturing sites in the United States and Europe. The most recent example is its $4.5 billion investment in the Lilly Medicine Foundry, an advanced manufacturing and drug development facility that will also support research and development.
Expected to open in late 2027 in Lebanon, Indiana, the Foundry will allow Lilly to research new ways to produce medicines and scale up manufacturing of medicines for clinical trials. For example, the Foundry will be able to explore new technologies, which could include green chemistry and biocatalysis as well as continuous processing, all integrated with advanced manufacturing capabilities such as process modeling and process analytical technologies, according to Sarah O’Keeffe, senior vice president—product research and development at Lilly.
Sarah O’Keeffe, Senior Vice President—Product Research and Development, Lilly / Eli Lilly and Company
O’Keeffe told BioSpace this capability will make it easier for the company to experiment with how it makes medicines. She explained that Lilly often relies on external partners for its clinical supply, and it’s not always easy for them to try, for example, new equipment sets or process analytical technologies.
“We’ve had these ambitions to make medicines in different ways, in ways that will improve quality, will improve the throughput and, ultimately, speed to market,” O’Keeffe said. “This facility provides more control in what we can do in terms of that innovation as well as being able to reliably supply material to the clinic.”
Because the pharma will be able to try new technologies at the Foundry and, ideally, transfer learnings to its other manufacturing facilities, the facility could serve as a critical milestone for the entire business.
“At the heart of everything we do, it’s about speed to patient,” O’Keeffe said. “In every corner of Lilly, we’re all thinking about that—whether it’s trying to discover the next new medicine or whether you are working on a potential medicine that is in clinical trials—how do we get these medicines to patients who are waiting?”
Investing in Infrastructure to Support Growing a Pipeline
While it’s still in the design stage, the Foundry should occupy about 1.2 million square feet, according to O’Keeffe. She said its flexible design will include hybrid suites that allow staff to move equipment in and out so they can research, develop and manufacture a variety of drug substances, including small molecules, bioconjugates and nucleic acids.
Once fully operational, the Foundry is expected to employ about 400 newly hired engineers, scientists and operations personnel. The company has already begun hiring for the facility, starting with the site leadership team, according to O’Keeffe.
The Foundry will be located at the LEAP Research and Innovation District, which is already home to a Lilly manufacturing site that received its own financial boost earlier this year. In May, Lilly announced it’s investing $5.3 billion in that facility to increase production of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound, which are in high demand.
Additional manufacturing investments this year include a $1 billion expansion of Lilly’s Limerick, Ireland, manufacturing site. Announced in September and already under construction, it’s intended to increase production of biologic active ingredients for the company’s Alzheimer’s disease portfolio and other medicines. The Alzheimer’s portfolio includes Kisunla, which the FDA approved in July to treat adults with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.
In another September milestone, Lilly debuted its $800 million facility expansion in Kinsale, Ireland, which began making medicines last year to meet demand for Lilly’s latest diabetes and obesity treatments, including Mounjaro and Zepbound.
R&D Investment Targets RNA- and DNA-Based Therapies
In addition to growing its manufacturing capabilities this year, Lilly has also boosted research and development efforts in keeping with its commitment to R&D. O’Keeffe noted the pharma invests a quarter of its revenue in R&D, exceeding the industry benchmark. According to a 2024 survey by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, its member companies spent slightly less, investing 21.4% of their total sales in research and development.
In August, Lilly opened the Lilly Seaport Innovation Center, an R&D facility in the Boston Seaport dedicated to advancing the pharma’s work on RNA- and DNA-based therapies. The company is also using the site to create medicines that target diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegeneration and chronic pain.
The Lilly Seaport Innovation Center not only houses scientists and researchers but can also accommodate staff from Lilly Gateway Labs, an innovation hub the company uses to connect earlier-stage biotechs with its platforms and expertise.
Company’s Growth, Philosophy Let Employees Make a Difference
O’Keeffe said it’s an exciting time to be at Lilly, which BioSpace recently named as one of its 2025 Best Places to Work. She noted the company has a rich and diverse pipeline in terms of therapeutic modalities, and employees can work on hard problems and develop new solutions to them.
“It’s not science for science’s sake,” O’Keeffe said. “It’s science with purpose, transforming molecules into next generation medicines that change lives.”
O’Keeffe has a long history of making a difference at Lilly, where she began her career 17 years ago as a postdoctoral scientist. She vividly recalls a pivotal moment from her early days as a process chemist, when she looked into a 2000 L reactor and observed the first process she had ever developed. This was a drug substance manufacturing process, carefully designed to be executed by an operations team in a good manufacturing practice setting. For O’Keeffe, designing, testing and going back to the drawing board on that process when something didn’t work was nerve-wracking but thrilling.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s so rewarding knowing that you had a hand in designing medicine that may make it into the hands of your family or friends someday,” she said. “For me, it’s a wonderful privilege.”
To learn more about Lilly, visit the website. To learn about working at the company, visit the careers page.
This article was written in partnership with Eli Lilly and Company.
