Eli Lilly Invests $450 Million to Expand RTP Manufacturing Site
By Alex Keown
February 23, 2023
Pharma giant Eli Lilly will invest $450 million to expand its manufacturing site in the Research Triangle Park. The expansion will include the addition of 100 jobs and is expected to increase the availability of the company’s diabetes medications.
Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly announced the expansion of the RTP site will include additional parenteral filling, device assembly and packaging capacity to support an increased demand for Lilly’s incretin products that treat diabetes. Construction on the RTP expansion is expected to begin this year.
“As we move into 2023, Lilly is focused on finding innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for our medicines,” Edgardo Hernandez, executive vice president and president, Lilly Manufacturing Operations, said in a statement. “Expanding our operations at Research Triangle Park will accelerate the rate at which we can produce medicines that patients rely on to address serious health challenges like diabetes.”
Eli Lilly first established its manufacturing presence in RTP in 2020 with a $470 million investment. The initial investment was expected to provide 460 new high-paying jobs. The average salary for those positions, which include scientists, engineers and manufacturing specialists, was announced at $72,000. The current average wage in Durham County of $71,756.
The new expansion is expected to be completed by 2027 and create an estimated 100 jobs. The majority of the positions will be in manufacturing and will be tasked with using advanced technology to produce incretin treatments and medical devices, according to the company.
According to a statement from the county commissioners in Durham County, which includes part of RTP, the positions will primarily be entry-level roles and can draw on those who have earned the BioWork Certificate from Durham Technical Community College. The entry level positions will provide an average salary of $56,408 plus benefits. New positions include operators and line leaders.
Beyond the Durham Tech program, Eli Lilly has established multiple workforce partnerships across the state, including the Lilly Science and Technology Center at Wake Technical Community College. Last year, Eli Lilly contributed $1.1 million to support biotech and life sciences programs at the state’s largest community college.
Eli Lilly’s latest investment in RTP is part of an overall $1.7 billion the company has committed to expand the site. Since 2020, the company has invested approximately $4 billion to support manufacturing efforts across North Carolina. In addition to its RTP location, the company has a site in Greenville, N.C., and last year announced a $1 billion investment to build a manufacturing facility in Concord, N.C.
The Concord investment is expected to bring 600 new jobs to the Charlotte area. Similar to the RTP space, the Concord facility will use the latest technology to manufacture parenteral (injectable) products and devices and increase the company’s manufacturing capacity.
In its announcement last year, Eli Lilly said it selected Concord because of the manufacturing technology experience of the local labor force. Additionally, the site is close to universities with strong STEM programs.
“We’re on track to achieve the goal we shared in November 2022 of doubling incretin capacity by the end of this year, but this investment is key to ensuring even more patients will have access to medicines they need in the future,” Hernandez added.
As Lilly prepares for future growth expected from potential new medicines to treat diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and autoimmune conditions, the company anticipates further expansion of its global manufacturing footprint to ensure sufficient supply of medicine.
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Alex Keown is a freelance journalist who writes about a variety of subjects including the pharma, biotech, and life science industries. Prior to freelancing, Alex has served as a staff writer and editor for several publications.
