Eli Lilly Chooses Alabama For Historic $6 Billion Plant
Governor Ivey proudly touts the $55 billion in new capital investment in the state during her administration. That number is about to take a dramatic leap with the announcement that pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly will invest $6 billion in a mega pharmaceutical manufacturing site just south of Huntsville. It will be the state's largest initial investment ever.
Located in the unincorporated Greenbrier community, the facility is expected to bring 3,000 construction jobs and eventually 450 permanent jobs to an area with just 30 residents. The site was selected from more than 300 applications. In 2020, a Toyota-Mazda manufacturing plant opened just north of Greenbrier
The150-year-old company's press release cited workforce strength, infrastructure advantages and proximity to the scientific facilities such as HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, among the reason for the selection of the Huntsville area.
The new plant will produce a next-generation active pharmaceutical ingredient. It will focus on domestic production of "small molecular synthetic and peptide medicines," according to an Eli Lilly press release.
The new plant will impact Huntsville, Madison County and the entire state. For every dollar Lilly invests, it estimates up to four dollars in additional local economic activity. Also, for each manufacturing job created, several more will be generated in related sectors like supply chain, logistics and retail.
“Huntsville and our entire state have a proven legacy of innovation, and there is no better home for Lilly than right here in Alabama. Our roots in the biosciences industry run deep, and Alabama’s contributions to this burgeoning sector continue,” Governor Ivey wrote in a press release responding to the announcement. “We are proud to welcome Lilly’s new U.S. manufacturing facility, which we are thrilled is the largest initial investment in our state’s history.
Republican U.S. Senator Katie Britt said the announcement means domestic production of lifesaving medicines will be strengthened. "This commitment further cements 'Made in Alabama' manufacturing as the gold standard and will help usher in a new golden age of American manufacturing."
The announcement by the Indianapolis based pharma comes as the Trump Administration has applied intense pressure on big pharm to lower prices in the U.S. and construct new facilities in this country.
The Alabama site is one of four sites in which Eli Lilly will construct in the United States.
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