Photo Credit: Getty Images
Eli Lilly and Co. is expanding its global manufacturing footprint with plans to build a $3 billion production facility in the Netherlands to support the growing demand for its experimental weight-loss pill, orforglipron, and other oral medications.
The plant will be constructed at the Leiden Bio Science Park in Katwijk and is expected to create about 500 high-skilled manufacturing positions and 1,500 construction jobs once development begins next year. The Indianapolis-based drugmaker said the investment will enhance supply chain resilience and boost output for treatments targeting obesity, cardiometabolic health, neuroscience, oncology, and immunology.
Lilly's CEO David Ricks described the site as a "critical step" in meeting global patient demand. "The new facility will feature paperless manufacturing systems and AI-powered analytics, enabling us to deliver medicines faster, with higher quality and reliability," he said during a Monday press conference.
The decision to base the plant in the Netherlands was influenced by the country's skilled multilingual workforce and its proximity to the European Medicines Agency, Ricks added.
The announcement comes just days after Lilly revealed a $1.2 billion expansion in Puerto Rico to scale up production of orforglipron, part of its broader $50 billion global manufacturing initiative. The company also plans to announce two additional U.S. manufacturing sites before year-end.
Lilly, currently the world's most valuable pharmaceutical company by market capitalization, is racing against Danish rival Novo Nordisk A/S to dominate the fast-growing obesity drug market. Orforglipron is being positioned as a daily oral alternative to injectable treatments like Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Last week, the company said orforglipron met key criteria for the FDA's national priority voucher, potentially shortening the drug's review timeline from the standard 10–12 months to as little as two.
Lilly's European operations already include established facilities in France, Ireland, Italy, and Spain, as well as new plants under construction in Ireland and Germany.
Shares of Lilly rose 2.5% in after-hours trading following the announcement.
