Eli Lilly invests US$1bn in ongoing Irish expansion

JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com

AMERICAN pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has invested US$1bn into the expansion of its manufacturing site in Limerick, Ireland, increasing the production of vital medicines for treating Alzheimer’s.

The company’s new biotech site will grow its production of biologic active ingredients for Alzheimer’s, and use machine learning, AI, and robotics to enable “right first time” testing.

Treatments made at the Limerick site are focused on slowing the progression of the disease.

The project builds on another Irish expansion, worth US$800m, at its site in Kinsale, which produces medicines for diabetes and obesity.

Both expansions are part of Eli Lilly’s US$20bn plan to increase pharmaceutical production across the US and Europe.

Edgardo Hernandez, president of Eli Lilly’s manufacturing operations, said: “We won't stop there – these state-of-the-art facilities will also be equipped to support our promising pipeline molecules of the future.”

Benefits for Limerick

The Limerick site will welcome an additional 150 skilled workers, including engineers, scientists, and operators, taking its workforce to 450.

Once the expansion is complete, Eli Lilly says the site will operate with 35% lower energy intensity, 40% less water, and generate 15% less waste than traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

Lilly in Ireland

Eli Lilly established itself in Ireland in the 1970s, with its inaugural site in Kinsale now operating manufacturing platforms in chemistry, biology, and peptides. A further site followed in Cork in 2010, with the Limerick base having been in construction since 2023.

Around 3,000 employees make up the Irish workforce, with 57% being women.

Eli Lilly expects the increased production of biologic active ingredients at Limerick to begin in 2026.