Eli Lilly Invests $3 Billion in New Dutch Plant to Boost Oral Obesity Drug Production

After investing over $27 billion in its US supply chain, the American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is continuing its expansion in Europe. The company has announced its intention to invest $3 billion in the construction of a new oral medication manufacturing plant in Katwijk, Netherlands.

Designed to provide products for several therapeutic areas including cardiometabolic, neuroscience, oncology and immunology, this new facility will notably be able to ensure part of the production of orforglipron, Eli Lilly’s oral GLP-1.

Currently in phase III clinical development, the drug is expected to receive global approval for the treatment of obesity by the end of the year. Lilly’s expansion of its production capacity, even before obtaining marketing authorization for orforglipron, suggests that the drug could represent a significant growth opportunity for the company, offering an alternative to injectable treatments currently on the market.

In addition to being fully automated, the production line of this new plant will be equipped with innovative technologies, including atomization dispersion, a process that allows for optimal absorption of oral medications. This new project, whose construction will begin in 2026, is expected to create nearly 500 skilled jobs, including positions for engineers, scientists, operations staff, and laboratory technicians.

A new building block in Eli Lilly’s industrial strategy in Europe

Eli Lilly continues to expand its European network. The pharmaceutical giant already has four sites on the continent, including one in France, in Fegersheim ( Alsace ), into which it invested €160 million just two years ago. This time, Lilly has chosen the Netherlands. This is the group’s first industrial facility in the country. To justify its choice, the company pointed out that the Netherlands recently rose to first place globally in terms of business climate for life sciences.

A favorable policy, also driving other recent investments by Eli Lilly for the European production of its GLP-1, with the construction of a new site in Germany and the expansion of a factory in Ireland.

Lilly is thus reinvesting the billions of dollars it has earned in recent years. These financial results have allowed it to overtake Novo Nordisk, a pioneer in the field, as the leading position in the coveted obesity market.

During the third quarter of 2025, tirzepatide, Eli Lilly’s flagship molecule indicated for the treatment of diabetes and obesity, generated over $10 billion in sales (compared to $4.4 billion in 2024). A spectacular success that has probably not yet reached its peak.

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