Eli Lilly Invests $1.2 Billion to Boost Oral Drug Production in Puerto Rico
Introduction:
Eli Lilly and Company has announced plans to invest more than $1.2 billion to expand and modernise its Lilly del Caribe manufacturing facility in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The investment aims to strengthen the company’s production capacity for oral solid medicines in key therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic health, neuroscience, oncology and immunology.
Features:
The upgraded Puerto Rico facility will support the production of medicines such as orforglipron, the company’s first oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, which is expected to be submitted for global regulatory approval for obesity by the end of the year.
The expanded site will integrate advanced manufacturing technologies, including fully automated material flow, paperless operations, process analytical systems and spray-dried dispersion techniques that improve the absorption of oral medicines.
Once completed, the project is expected to create up to 1,000 construction jobs and 100 new high-technology manufacturing positions.
The initiative highlights Puerto Rico’s growing importance as a strategic hub for advanced manufacturing within the U.S. supply chain.
Construction of the expanded facility is scheduled to begin in 2026, with production expected to start by the end of 2028.
Specifications:
| Name | Eli Lilly |
| Budget | $1.2 Billion |
| Type | Construction |
| Year of Completion | 2028 |
