Eli Lilly and contract manufacturer Resilience revealed plans to invest $750 million to expand U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, targeting production and workforce growth in the Cincinnati, Ohio region, Resilience said Thursday.
The capital will be deployed over multiple years to boost output of critical medicines and is expected to generate 400 new high-skilled jobs in the area. As part of the expanded operations in the Cincinnati region, Resilience will take on production of Lilly’s KwikPen injectable device, which is used to treat diabetes and obesity.
The two companies entered a multi-year manufacturing partnership in 2023. That collaboration has already produced more than 150 million doses for U.S. patients, supplying medicines in vial and pre-filled syringe formats.
Edgardo Hernandez, who oversees manufacturing at Lilly, said the agreement demonstrates the drugmaker’s effort to address rising demand for its medicines.
Since 2020, Lilly has committed more than $55 billion to U.S. capital expansions, the company said. The firm also indicated plans to break ground this year on several U.S. manufacturing sites it has recently announced.
The announcement comes amid a broader industry shift: global drugmakers have been increasing U.S. manufacturing capacity since last year and building inventories. That response has been linked in part to a proposed policy from the Trump administration that would impose 100% tariffs on branded drugs unless companies either reduce prices or manufacture medicines domestically.
Officials from both companies framed the investment as a means to strengthen domestic production of medicines while supporting local employment and manufacturing capabilities. The expansion will add to Lilly’s already sizable U.S. capital commitments and to Resilience’s role as a contract manufacturer in the region.
What this means
- The investment reinforces a move toward greater onshore pharmaceutical production.
- Cincinnati will become a hub for manufacturing that now includes KwikPen assembly.
- The partnership has a recent track record of producing substantial volumes for U.S. patients.