Along with the Limerick investment, the pharmaceutical company also unveiled the $800m expansion to its Kinsale facility.
Multinational pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has today (12 September) revealed an additional investment to the tune of $1bn in the expansion of its manufacturing site in Limerick.
The site, which is still under construction, will be used to increase the production of biological active ingredients used in a wide range of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The facility already received $1bn in investment since the beginning of its development, which was announced in 2022, bringing total investment in the new Limerick site to $2bn.
The investment is the next phase of Eli Lilly’s expansion plans, as the company claims to have spent $20bn on building, expanding and acquiring US and European-based manufacturing plants since 2020.
“Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating diagnosis for both the patient and for their loved ones, along with having a huge burden on society,” said Anne E White, executive vice-president of Eli Lilly and president of Lilly Neuroscience.
“The treatments we plan to make here in Limerick offer the potential to be able to slow the progression of early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease and make life better for millions of people around the world.”
This latest project is being supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
In Limerick, the expansion will create 150 new jobs for professionals highly skilled in engineering, science, quality assurance and operations, bringing the number of employees up to 450, with the plant expected to begin operations in 2026.
The pharmaceutical company also unveiled the $800m expansion to its facility in Kinsale, which has been manufacturing medicines targeting obesity and diabetes since last year.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke, TD welcomed the news. “These state-of-the-art facilities will contribute to the treatment of diseases affecting millions of people across the world,” he said. “They will also create hundreds of new jobs, directly and indirectly, adding to the thousands already employed in Ireland by Lilly.”
Earlier this year Eli Lilly signed a deal with AI drug discovery company Isomorphic Labs, to collaborate on research, with the goal of accelerating cures for some of the world’s most devastating diseases.
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