Area Development
Eli Lilly and Company plans a $140 million expansion to the company's Indianapolis, Indiana, insulin manufacturing operations, with plans to hire more than 100 highly-skilled, specialized technicians, scientists, and engineers.

The 80,000-square-foot expansion, which will enable the manufacturing of insulin cartridges to meet the growing diabetes demand in the U.S., represents one of the most significant investments in Lilly's U.S.-based manufacturing operations in the past decade, the firm said.

Diabetes care is a major segment of Lilly's pharmaceutical business. John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Lilly's chairman, president, and chief executive officer, said that Lilly's commitment to meeting the long-term needs of people with diabetes in the U.S., as well as its role as a biomedical leader in Indiana, drove the company's decision to build this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Indianapolis.

"Lilly is committed to providing a full range of innovative treatment options for people with diabetes," said Lechleiter. "The need in our country is great and it is growing. This investment will help us to better meet that need while expanding our advanced manufacturing footprint in our home state – helping to strengthen Indiana's bioscience industry."

Lechleiter added the new facility will manufacture insulin cartridges for people with diabetes. It will be a first-of-its-kind facility for Lilly in the U.S. Lilly's $140 million expansion is one of the largest economic development investments in both the city and state in 2012.

Lilly's reorganization of its diabetes operations almost three years ago has provided greater focus on its innovation-based product portfolio and pipeline of potential new medicines, the company said. Today, the company has 10 potential new diabetes medicines in various stages of clinical development including oral medications, insulins, and a once-a-week treatment to meet the needs of people with diabetes.

"Lilly is the premier pharmaceutical company in the world and their commitment to research keeps them ahead of the medical curve," said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. "This expansion is just further proof that Indiana is a fiscally strong state, and we thank Lilly for their confidence in our state and our people." Information on potential job creation incentives provided the firm by state and local officials was not immediately available.

"Lilly's expansion brings new jobs and investment of new capital to our local economy, demonstrating the company's confidence in doing business in Indianapolis and strengthening our advanced manufacturing and bioscience industries," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. "We are pleased to see this industry leader that calls Indianapolis home continuing along its growth path, which is good for our community and the Central Indiana region as a whole."