Eli Lilly to inject $5.3bn to expand  weight loss drugs factory in US

Investment aims to boost output of Lilly's weight loss drug Zepbound and blockbuster diabetes medication Mounjaro

Chief executive David Ricks said Eli Lilly will expand a site in Indiana that makes tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound for weight loss, and diabetes drug Mounjaro. Picture: Darragh McSweeney/Provision

Eli Lilly will spend $5.3bn (€4.9bn) to boost production of a key ingredient in its weight-loss and diabetes shots after the treatments’ explosive popularity led to shortages.

The manufacturing investment, which adds to existing plans and is the largest in the company’s almost 150-year history, will expand a site in Indiana that makes tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound for weight loss and the diabetes blockbuster Mounjaro.