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Eli Lilly Picks Lehigh Valley for $3.5 Billion Plant to Make Next-Gen Weight-Loss Drugs

State incentives worth up to $105 million helped secure the site to boost U.S. capacity.

Overview

  • Lilly will build an injectable medicines and device campus in Fogelsville, Upper Macungie Township, to produce Zepbound and, if approved, the experimental retatrutide.
  • Construction is slated to begin in 2026 with operations targeted for 2031, supporting about 2,000 construction jobs and creating roughly 850 permanent roles.
  • Pennsylvania committed up to $100 million in grants and tax credits plus up to $5 million in RACP funding for workforce training, including a pipeline through Lehigh Carbon Community College.
  • The 150-acre site off I-78 was selected from more than 300 proposals for its infrastructure and proximity to STEM universities, and the facility will deploy AI, machine learning and integrated monitoring.
  • This marks Lilly’s fourth new U.S. manufacturing site in a recent expansion to strengthen domestic supply of GLP-1 therapies as demand grows and policy pressures encourage onshore production.