Gov. Mike Braun visited Lebanon Tuesday to help break ground for the $4.5 billion Eli Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon.
The foundry is the first research and development site of its kind in the world and will combine research, process development, and clinical trial manufacturing in a single site. It represents the most strategic capital investment in the nation’s pharma supply chain in a generation, Lilly Chairman and CEO Dave Ricks said.
Lilly has pledged $100 million in scholarships to train its own workforce.
Braun said the foundry will create a pipeline of opportunity for Indiana’s university graduates and strengthen America’s pharmaceutical supply chain, as it returns pharmaceutical production back to the United States.
At the Foundry, Lilly scientists will research and make lifesaving medicines to replace injectable drugs for genetic and other diseases, Lilly Chief Scientific Officer and President of Lilly Research Laboratories and Lilly Immunology Dr. Daniel Skovronsky said.
Lilly built a pilot mini-foundry 20 years ago, and the diabetes drug Trulicity blossomed out of research there, along with a new breakthrough medicine to treat Alzheimer’s disease and others, Skovronsky said.
Lilly scientists plan to develop complex drugs that combine elements in new ways that have never been combined before to treat conditions including ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer accounts for only 2% of female cancers but causes a disproportionate number of deaths.
“We think we can fix that,” Skovronsky said.
State and county leaders came together Tuesday to turn dirt with red shovels at the site south of Ind. 32 on Lebanon’s west side.
Braun thanked Lebanon Mayor Matthew Gentry for helping draw Lilly to Lebanon.
“The groundbreaking of Eli Lilly’s Medicine Foundry marks a transformative moment for Lebanon and American manufacturing,” Gentry said afterward. “With a $4.5 billion investment, this facility will create 400 high-skill jobs. The Medicine Foundry will not only deliver high-quality jobs but also provide opportunities for local small businesses, including contractors, caterers, and service providers, ensuring that our entire community thrives into the future.
“This facility bolsters our nation’s ability to produce critical medicines domestically, reflecting the values of hard work and independence that define our community and state,” he added.