Lilly ramps up Irish manufacturing investment by $1bn

Eli Lilly has added $1 billion to its investment plan for a new manufacturing facility in Ireland that will be used to produce its Alzheimer's therapy donanemab.

The facility at a business park in Raheen, Limerick, was first announced in 2022 and this is the second time that Lilly has opted to double its investment in the site, taking the total above $2 billion and reinforcing the company's close ties to Ireland's pharma manufacturing sector.

The ramped-up investment has increased the anticipated job creation at the facility from 300 to 450 highly skilled workers such as engineers, scientists, quality assurance professionals and operations personnel, according to the company.

Lilly has said the plant will be its most technologically advanced for the production of biologic drugs, like monoclonal antibodies, and will deploy 'next-generation' manufacturing technologies, including advanced data collection and analysis systems aimed at delivering improvements in safety and quality, along with increased productivity and process performance. Production of biologic active ingredients at the site is scheduled to start in 2026.

Part of the Limerick site's production capacity has been earmarked for donanemab, which was approved by the US FDA in July as Kisunla for patients with mild cognitive impairment or the mild dementia stage of Alzheimer's with confirmed amyloid plaques.

"Alzheimer's disease is a devastating diagnosis for both the patient and for their loved ones, along with having a huge burden on society," said Anne White, president of Lilly Neuroscience. "The treatments we plan to make here in Limerick offer the potential to be able to slow the progression of early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease and make life better for millions of people around the world."

Lilly also unveiled its new $800 million facility expansion in Kinsale, Ireland, this week, which began making medicines last year to meet the demand for Lilly's diabetes and obesity treatments, including its fast-growing Mounjaro and Zepbound brands based on GIP/GLP-1 agonist tirzepatide.

The company has been investing heavily in its manufacturing in recent years, committing more than $20 billion since 2020.

The investments have been supported by IDA Ireland, the country's inward investment agency. Lilly has been making drugs in Ireland since the 1970s and currently employs more than 3,500 people across three Irish sites.