Eli Lilly broke ground in Houston, Texas on one of ten U.S. manufacturing sites — the fifth location to produce domestic APIs — announced since 2020.
As part of the company's $50 billion push to reshore medicine production, the $6.5 billion Houston site will manufacture Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly's first synthetic oral GLP-1 medicine, along with other small-molecule medicines and advanced therapeutics. Lilly says the site will use state-of-the-art technologies, including machine learning, AI, digitally integrated systems and advanced data analytics to drive right-first-time execution. Digital automation will be embedded throughout the site to streamline operations and ensure a reliable supply of safe, high-quality medicines.
Lilly is currently hiring in Houston and expects the new facility to create more than 600 high-wage jobs like engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and lab technicians — along with 4,000 construction jobs as the site is being built and brought online.
Foundayo, approved by the FDA in April 2026, is currently under regulatory review in more than 40 countries, with a full global rollout targeted for 2027. Lilly is also studying Foundayo for other uses, including type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea, with data expected later this year.