Lilly plans new $2.1 billion manufacturing sites in Indiana

The new facilities will expand the Indianapolis-based company’s manufacturing network for active ingredients and new therapeutic drugs, including those used to treat diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s and cancer, Lily officials said during a news conference at the governor’s residence.

“We’re fortunate to have had a very successful run lately in our laboratories in our pipeline… we have tremendous growth at Lilly, but we have even more promise ahead,” said David Ricks, Lilly’s chair and CEO, emphasizing that the company has called Indiana home for 146 years. “There’s a lot of work to do. But I think it exemplifies what’s special about Indiana, which is people come together to solve tough problems.

The LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District in Boone County, located 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis, was selected for its “strategic proximity” to downtown Indianapolis, Purdue University in West Lafayette, and the I-65 corridor, Ricks continued.

Ricks did not provide a timeline for construction and said it could be three of four years before the facilities begin producing medicine for patients. He said ground-breaking in Boone County is expected “much sooner,” however.

The project is pending zoning and annexation approvals by local officials, however. The Indiana Economic Development Council said it is working with Lilly to finalize a performance-based incentive package, which Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers said could happen within the next 30 days.

The proposed project is expected to create up to 500 new Lilly roles with an additional four indirect jobs for every Lilly position created, Ricks said. An estimated 1,500 construction jobs will additionally be required while the facilities are being built.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb commended Lilly on the announcement, noting that the company “has been an anchor in Indiana’s economy for generations.” He said the announcement “invest in our home state” is a likely sign that the company will continue to stay in Indiana long-term.

“I am incredibly proud Lilly continues to make exciting investments in Indiana that will better the lives and opportunities of Hoosiers for decades to come,” Holcomb said. “And in turn, the very research and pharmaceutical manufacturing spearheaded here in our state will improve lives worldwide.”

Casey Smith is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Smith on Twitter.