Key Takeaways
- Major U.S. Investment: Eli Lilly announced a $5 billion facility in Virginia as part of a $27 billion plan to expand drug manufacturing across America over the next five years.
- Policy Pressure Pays: The move follows President Trump’s call for Big Pharma to bring production home, backed by the threat of tariffs as high as 250% on foreign-made drugs.
- Jobs and Security: The Virginia plant will create more than 650 permanent high-skill jobs, boost America’s drug supply independence, and establish one of the world’s largest facilities for advanced cancer therapies.
Eli Lilly is putting its money where President Trump’s policy vision has been for years—right here at home. On Tuesday, the pharmaceutical giant announced a $5 billion investment to build a new manufacturing facility in Goochland County, Virginia. It’s part of a $27 billion plan to open four U.S. facilities over the next five years.
The move isn’t just about expansion. It’s a hedge against tariffs Trump has threatened to slap on foreign-made pharmaceuticals—tariffs that could reach as high as 250%. Trump has been crystal clear: if Big Pharma wants access to American consumers, it should be making medicines in America. Eli Lilly got the message.
The new Virginia plant will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients for cancer and autoimmune drugs, while also boosting the company’s ability to make antibody-drug conjugates—cutting-edge targeted cancer therapies. Once completed, the facility will be one of the largest of its kind in the world.
CEO David Ricks spelled out the stakes: this investment will allow the U.S. to “make our own medicines…reducing our reliance on foreign suppliers, and ensuring patients can count on safe supply of authentic medicines made in their own communities.” In other words, supply chain security and American jobs rolled into one.
And the jobs aren’t trivial. The project is expected to create more than 650 permanent high-skill positions, plus nearly 1,800 construction jobs. For Virginia and for America, that’s real economic growth.
Since 2020, Lilly has already committed about $50 billion in capital projects. Their shares ticked up nearly 2% after the announcement—proof that Wall Street also likes a strong “Made in America” strategy.
This is what happens when policy meets principle. Trump pushed, Lilly listened, and now American workers and patients will reap the rewards.