Eli Lilly plans to invest over $3.5 billion in a new manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. The plant will focus on producing next-generation obesity drugs, including the promising drug retatrutide, which has shown significant weight loss results in late-stage trials. The company anticipates the site to be operational by 2031.

President Donald Trump stated that Lilly aims to build six plants in the U.S., but Lilly has not confirmed this plan. This Pennsylvania facility is part of Lilly’s larger strategy to expand domestic manufacturing, with a total investment of at least $27 billion in new facilities since 2020. The company expects to start construction this year.

Retatrutide, which targets three gut hormones, is seen as a crucial part of Lilly’s obesity treatment strategy. The company plans to release data from seven more Phase 3 trials this year. Lilly and rival Novo Nordisk have been working to boost production capacity for upcoming drugs in the competitive GLP-1 market in the U.S.

Lilly’s investment in the Pennsylvania site will create 850 jobs in the area, including roles for engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and lab technicians. This move comes as drugmakers like Lilly and Novo Nordisk aim to secure their positions in the market and increase production capacity for upcoming weight loss treatments.

Read more at CNBC: Eli Lilly plans $3.5 billion Pennsylvania plant for obesity drugs