- Eli Lilly and Company has broken ground on a $6.5 billion manufacturing site in Houston, Texas, which will produce Foundayo (orforglipron), other small-molecule medicines, and advanced therapeutics.
- The facility is part of Lilly’s $50 billion effort to expand U.S. medicine production and is expected to create more than 600 high-wage jobs and 4,000 construction jobs.
Eli Lilly and Company has broken ground on a $6.5 billion manufacturing site in Houston, Texas. The facility is the company’s fifth U.S. location announced since 2020 to produce domestic active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). It will manufacture Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly’s first synthetic oral GLP-1 medicine, along with other small-molecule medicines and advanced therapeutics.
Foundayo is a GLP-1 receptor agonist approved in the U.S. for weight management in adults with obesity, or adults with overweight and a weight-related condition. Lilly said the small-molecule medicine can be manufactured using more established technologies and can therefore be more readily scaled. Foundayo is under regulatory review in more than 40 countries, with a full global rollout targeted for 2027. Lilly is also studying the medicine for type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea, with data expected later this year.
The Houston facility is part of Lilly’s $50 billion investment to reshore medicine production and expand capacity for domestic demand and exports. The company said the site will also focus on advanced therapeutics, including oligonucleotides, which can work at the genetic level to switch off production of specific proteins. The facility will use machine learning, AI, digitally integrated systems, and advanced data analytics, with digital automation embedded throughout the site.
Lilly is providing $12.5 million to support a relationship with San Jacinto College to develop training pathways for advanced chemical synthesis manufacturing careers. It is also providing a $2.5 million charitable donation to the San Jacinto College Foundation for scholarships for eligible students. Lilly expects the Houston facility to create more than 600 high-wage jobs, including engineering, scientific, operations, and laboratory positions, as well as 4,000 construction jobs while the site is built and brought online.
Lilly has announced 10 U.S. manufacturing sites since 2020. Five will produce API, four will manufacture injectable medicines and devices, and one will produce genetic medicines. The Houston site is part of the company’s broader effort to build manufacturing capacity for its medicine pipeline.
