The American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly responds to the increasing demand for its weight loss and diabetes medications by significantly increasing investments in its new plant in the state of Indiana. The company announced on Friday that it would invest an additional 5.3 billion dollars (approximately 4.9 billion euros) in the construction of the factory, bringing the total investments to nine billion dollars.

This marks the highest production investment in the company's history. The plant is expected to start manufacturing intermediates for the weight loss drug Zepbound and the diabetes medication Mounjaro from the end of 2026. Eli Lilly is currently facing an extremely high demand for these two drugs in the USA, which can hardly be met.

"The supply of Zepbound will remain quite limited in the short to medium term," the company announced. Production capacities are expected to be significantly increased by expanding the site.

Since 2020, Eli Lilly has announced investments totaling $16 billion, including $2.5 billion for a plant in Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. These strategic investments underline the importance of continuous production increases to meet the growing demand for innovative medicines.

With the significant expansion of investments, Eli Lilly not only demonstrates its determination to increase production capacities but also its commitment to meeting the growing demand for essential health products. The planned production startup at the Indiana facility from 2026 is an important step in strengthening the supply chain and securing the availability of these in-demand medications.