Celltrion has completed the acquisition of Eli Lilly’s large‑scale biologics manufacturing facility in Branchburg, New Jersey, securing a permanent U.S. production base for its biosimilar and contract manufacturing operations. The site, purchased for about 460 billion won (roughly 320–330 million dollars), is part of a broader investment plan of close to 1 billion dollars to upgrade and expand the plant over time.
Through the deal, Celltrion takes over an FDA‑approved biologics site with existing capacity and workforce, while also assuming contract manufacturing volumes for Eli Lilly products under a multi‑year CMO agreement valued at approximately 473 million dollars. The company plans to use around half of the facility’s capacity for Lilly’s products and the remainder for its own biosimilars and future pipeline, positioning the plant as a key hub for the North American market.
Celltrion has framed the acquisition as a strategic response to potential U.S. tariffs on imported biologics and as a way to accelerate growth of its CDMO business. Analysts say the additional U.S. capacity underpins Celltrion’s 2026 revenue target and supports scaling recently launched biosimilars expected to contribute meaningfully from 2026 onward.
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