Eli Lilly has begun construction of a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Goochland County, west of Richmond, Virginia, to produce cancer medicines, including antibody-drug conjugates.
The site will be Lilly’s first fully integrated facility producing both active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished medicines. It will include dedicated ingredient manufacturing capacity for bioconjugate and large-molecule treatments.
Antibody-drug conjugates combine antibodies with potent cell-killing medicines to target cancer cells while limiting exposure to healthy tissue. Researchers are also exploring their use in autoimmune diseases and other conditions.
Lilly expects the facility to create 650 jobs, including engineers, scientists, operations personnel and laboratory technicians, alongside approximately 1,800 construction jobs. Hiring is underway.
The project forms part of Lilly’s commitment of more than $50 billion to expand U.S. medicine production. Richmond is one of 10 new domestic manufacturing sites the company has announced since 2020.
To support workforce development, Lilly has committed $40 million to the Virginia Center for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, a statewide partnership involving industry, government and higher education.
The network will include a pilot-scale training center in Goochland County, targeted to open in 2028.
The Richmond plant will incorporate machine learning, artificial intelligence, integrated digital systems and data analytics into manufacturing operations. Lilly is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification for the facility.
Five of Lilly’s 10 new U.S. sites will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients. Four others will manufacture injectable medicines and devices, while a separate Lebanon, Indiana, facility will produce genetic medicines.
Richmond will add capacity for Lilly’s expanding domestic manufacturing network.
Lilly has announced 10 U.S. sites since 2020:
- Five will produce API:
- Richmond, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; Houston, Texas; and two sites in Lebanon, Indiana – Lebanon API and Lilly Medicine Foundry, which will also focus on new production methods and making medicines for clinical trials
- Four will make injectable medicines and manufacture devices:
- Research Triangle Park and Concord, North Carolina; Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
- One will make genetic medicines in Lebanon, Indiana; Lebanon Advanced Therapies
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