Eli Lilly and Company announced on December 10, 2025, that it will invest more than $6 billion to build a new advanced manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company selected the Greenbrier South site along Interstate 565 near Exit 3 for the project, which is the third of four new U.S. sites the company plans to announce. Construction is set to begin in 2026 with completion slated for 2032.
What it means
The facility will serve as a synthetic medicine active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) plant, producing next-generation small molecule synthetic and peptide medicines. Specifically, the site will manufacture orforglipron, Lilly’s first oral, small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. Lilly expects to submit orforglipron to global regulatory agencies for obesity by the end of 2025. The facility will use technologies including machine learning, AI, digitally integrated monitoring systems, and advanced data analytics. Digital automation will be embedded throughout the site.
The project is projected to create 450 permanent jobs in the region for engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and lab technicians. The construction phase is expected to generate 3,000 jobs. Lilly estimates that for every dollar invested, up to $4 in additional local economic activity will result. Alabama’s primary workforce development agency, AIDT, will assist with an on-site training center and workforce assembly/training. Lilly chose the 260-acre site from more than 300 applications. Site selection was partly based on proximity to the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Other advantages included ready access to utilities, transportation, and favorable zoning and incentives. The multi-building campus will cover more than 1 million square feet and include manufacturing, logistics, packaging, lab, and utilities space.
Key facts
- $6 billion: Planned investment amount by Eli Lilly and Company.
- 450 permanent jobs: Projected workforce for engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and lab technicians.
- 3,000 construction jobs: Expected employment during the building phase.
- 2026: Start date for construction.
- 2032: Slated completion date for the facility.
- 1 million square feet: Planned size of the multi-building campus on a 260-acre site.
- Huntsville, Alabama: Location of the new advanced manufacturing operation.
- orforglipron: The oral, small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist to be manufactured at the site.
Source: madeinalabama.com, reporting a news release by Gov. Kay Ivey and Eli Lilly and Company