Eli Lilly and Company will begin construction in mid-2026 on a $3.5 billion facility in Upper Macungie Township, Pa., for the manufacture of injectable medicines and devices. The project represents the largest investment made by a life sciences company in the state’s history, and will be the largest development ever to rise in the Lehigh Valley. The seven-building complex will enable the production of next-generation weight-loss therapies, including retatrutide, a first-in-class investigational GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon triple hormone receptor agonist.
Advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, integrated monitoring, and data analytics will optimize performance and ensure a reliable supply of medicine. Operations are slated to commence in 2031. The new campus will bring 850 high-value jobs to the area, which was selected for proximity to STEM universities, a robust technical manufacturing economy, and access to existing infrastructure.
The project is supported by $100 million in state investment, including $50 million in tax credits through the Pennsylvania Economic Development for a Growing Economy (PA EDGE) program, as well as a $25 million Pennsylvania First grant and a $25 million grant through the Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites Program (PA SITES). The state is also providing an award of up to $5 million through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to Lehigh Carbon Community College to help create a workforce training program that will serve as a talent pipeline. LCCC has connected with Wake Tech in Raleigh, N.C., to build out a curriculum and equipment so workers can be trained on the exact equipment used in the plant.
Since 2020, Lilly's capital expansion commitments in the U.S. total more than $50 billion. New sites in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and North Carolina are accompanied by the expansion of the Lilly Technology Center in Indianapolis and the Lilly del Caribe center in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The $4.5 billion Lilly Medicine Foundry is currently under construction in the LEAP Research and Innovation District in Lebanon, Ind., with completion expected in late 2027. The company is also investing $3 billion to expand a manufacturing facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., that was acquired in 2024.
