Lilly announces plans to invest €400 million in new biopharmaceutical facility in Limerick

LIMERICK, IRELAND, 28 January 2022 ­– Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), a global healthcare and biopharmaceutical leader, plans to invest over €400 million in a brand-new manufacturing facility in Limerick, the company and IDA Ireland announced. The investment project is subject to planning approval and the company will submit a planning application with Limerick City and County Council in the coming weeks.

The new facility will expand Lilly’s manufacturing network for biologic active ingredients, support increased demand for existing Lilly products and play a key role in bringing Lilly’s robust clinical pipeline, including its promising Alzheimer’s portfolio, to patients around the world.

The proposed project is expected to create more than 300 new jobs for highly skilled workers such as engineers, scientists and operations personnel, who will use the latest biologics manufacturing technology to produce life-changing treatments that patients need to address health challenges. In addition, an estimated 500 additional positions will be required while the facility is under construction.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar TD said: “This is fantastic news for Limerick and indeed the entire region. The Mid-West has become a real hub for leading biopharma companies such as Lilly and I’m really pleased that the company has chosen Limerick for its new manufacturing centre, investing over €400m and creating 300 new, permanent jobs and a further 500 jobs during construction. Lilly produces crucial healthcare products which are making a huge difference to the lives of patients around the world fighting some of the world’s most serious illnesses. This new manufacturing centre is a significant expansion of that work and I wish the entire team the very best with the project.”

Ireland is home to a highly-skilled and reliable workforce and has established itself as a centre of excellence in life sciences and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The close links that have been fostered between the life sciences industry, communities, and universities with strong science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs in Limerick and across the country, make it the ideal location for Lilly’s new facility.

Senior vice president and president, Lilly Manufacturing Operations Edgardo Hernandez said: “Over the past 40 years, we have continued to invest in Ireland in part because of supportive government policies that value life science innovation. This new Lilly campus in Limerick will allow us to expand our capacity to make innovative new medicines that can help treat some of the world’s most serious illnesses. This facility will use the latest technology to support advancements in science, productivity and sustainability, further establishing Lilly as a global manufacturing leader.”

CEO of IDA Ireland, Martin Shanahan said: “An investment of this scale by Lilly is very welcome news for the Mid-West Region and indeed Ireland, where the global healthcare brand has had a presence since 1978. Lilly employs more than 2300 people in Cork and the decision to significantly expand its footprint into the Mid-West region with the proposed construction of a new biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility on a greenfield site in Limerick demonstrates the confidence Lilly has in Ireland and the region’s strong talent pool. The regional economy will also substantially benefit from the approx. 500 jobs in the construction of this proposed facility.  I wish to assure Lilly of IDA Ireland’s continued support.”