Investing $1.8 billion! Eli Lilly expands Irish factory to increase production of weight loss drugs

Eli Lilly is building a factory in Ireland to expand the production of weight-loss drugs, making every effort to meet the growing demand for its pharmaceuticals.

On Thursday, September 12th, Bloomberg reported that the American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly plans to invest $1 billion to expand its existing factory in Limerick, Ireland, and will also invest $800 million to build new facilities in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland, to meet the market demand for its star drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound. Since 2022, there has been a shortage of drug supply.

The new facility in Kinsale will be used to produce the active ingredient tirzepatide in Eli Lilly's drug injection pens. Edgardo Hernandez, Executive Vice President and Head of Manufacturing at the company, stated:

"These investments will increase the production of some of our drugs, helping millions of people, but we will not stop there - these advanced facilities will also support our R&D pipeline molecules."

According to the International Pharmaceutical Engineering Association, Eli Lilly has adopted a hybrid manufacturing approach, which not only increases production but also reduces the difficulties of producing precision peptide drugs. Eli Lilly's new facility has been recognized as the "Facility of the Year" for its innovation.

Explosive Demand

In recent years, the weight-loss drug market has seen broad demand and supply shortages, with Eli Lilly's weight-loss drugs considered one of the best-selling drugs in history.

Since 2020, Eli Lilly has invested over $17 billion in developing new factories and expanding existing facilities, with employees calling it the "most ambitious manufacturing expansion" in nearly 150 years of history.

Another weight-loss "giant," Novo Nordisk, has also invested billions to increase its drug production capacity.

Not only in Ireland, Eli Lilly's new factories worldwide will support the production of weight-loss drugs, including active ingredients, injection devices, etc., covering all aspects of the supply chain.

It is estimated that by the end of this century, the weight-loss drug market will reach $130 billion, with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk competing to produce these drugs. However, so far, they have not been able to keep up with the demand.

Currently, capacity shortages have hindered Novo Nordisk from launching its oral weight-loss drug; drug shortages have led patients to seek alternative medications and have hindered those looking to start using these drugs; at the same time, limited supply has delayed the introduction of these weight-loss drugs in new countries.

According to Bloomberg, Eli Lilly plans to launch the Zepbound drug vial soon, which should help alleviate some supply shortages. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly is also advancing the production of next-generation weight-loss drugs, but these drugs are still in the clinical trial stage. Hernandez stated:

"This is something we have never done before, but we are taking rapid action to ensure we are prepared for the future."