LEBANON, Ind. (WISH) — Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. on Tuesday afternoon will to break ground on its $4.5 billion Lilly Medicine Foundry.
Lilly Chair and CEO Dave Ricks and Gov. Mike Braun will be part of the groundbreaking in the Boone County city northwest of Indianapolis.
The Lilly Medicine Foundry was designed for advanced manufacturing and drug development from 400 highly skilled workers, engineers, scientists, lab techs and others who will drive innovation and make medicines for clinical trials.
First announced in October, the project will be in the LEAP Research and and Innovation District. LEAP is an acronym for Limitless Exploration Advanced Pace, a project which had initially raised concerns about the possibilities for drawing water from other parts of the state to sustain the development. Other plans were later made to bring water to the development.
The company’s planned investment in the LEAP district totals more than $13 billion, which Lilly touts as the largest single investment in active pharmaceutical ingredients production in U.S. history.
In Lebanon, Lilly announced a $2.1 billion investment in two manufacturing sites in May 2022, an additional $1.6 billion for that effort revealed in April 2023, and another $5.3 billion first publicly disclosed in May to “enhance capacity to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients for its latest diabetes and obesity medicines,” a news release issued in October said.
The state government has pledged help with roads, water, electricity and other utilities in the LEAP district.
Other people at Tuesday’s 2:30 p.m. groundbreaking at 2255 State Road 32 will be Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer; Sarah O’Keeffe, Lilly’s second vice president of product research and development; and other local and state government officials.
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