BREAKING: Limerick jobs boost as Eli Lilly confirm 150 new positions

ELI Lilly and Company has announced a $1bn expansion of its Limerick facility, doubling the firm’s investment in Raheen and creating 150 new jobs.

Today's announcement brings Lilly's total Limerick investment to $2bn, doubling the investment the company announced in March of 2023. 

As a part of this expansion, Lilly will create another 150 jobs for highly skilled workers in Limerick such as engineers, scientists, quality assurance professionals and operations personnel, for a total of 450 employees. 

Lilly initially announced the Limerick site in 2022 and broke ground in March 2023. Production of biologic active ingredients for Lilly medicines is on track to start in 2026.

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The Limerick investment project is subject to planning approval, and the company will submit a planning application to the Limerick City and County Council in due course.

IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan said: “Today's announcement in Limerick effectively doubles down on Eli Lilly and Company's 2022 announcement to build a new manufacturing facility in Raheen.” 

Once complete, Limerick will join Lilly's global manufacturing network producing the biologic active ingredients for the company's Alzheimer's disease portfolio and other biologic medicines.

“These investments will boost the production of some of our medicines, helping millions of people with diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer's discase live the healthiest lives possible,” said Edgardo Hernandez, executive vice president and president of Lilly Manufacturing Operations. 

“We won't stop there, these state-of-the-art facilities will also be equipped to support our promising pipeline molecules of the future.” 

A new greenfield manufacturing investment in Raheen, Limerick was announced by Lilly in 2022. The state-of-the-art campus is under construction and on track to begin manufacturing in 2026. 

Once completed, the Limerick site will operate with 35% lower energy intensity, use 40% less water, and generate 15% less waste than traditional biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

“Alzheimer's disease is a devastating diagnosis for both the patient and for their loved ones, along with having a huge burden on society, said Anne E. White, executive vice president and president of Lilly Neuroscience. 

“The treatments we plan to make here in Limerick offer the potential to be able to slow the progression of early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease and make life better for millions of people around the world.”

The company also unveiled its new $800m facility expansion in Kinsale, which began making medicines last year to meet demand for Lilly's diabetes and obesity treatments.

This additional investment is part of the most ambitious manufacturing expansion agenda in the company's history. Since 2020, Lilly has committed more than $20bn to build, expand and acquire manufacturing facilities in the US, and Europe.

This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Peter Burke TD said: “Today marks two fantastic investments from Eli Lilly and Company both the announcement of a $1bn expansion of Lilly's Limerick site in Raheen and the unveiling of the new $800m facility expansion in Kinsale. 

“These state-of-the-art facilities will contribute to the treatment of diseases affecting millions of people across the world. They will also create hundreds of new jobs, directly and indirectly adding to the thousands already employed in Ireland by Lilly. 

“Eli Lilly and Company has made a huge commitment to Ireland for almost half a century and these announcements today further solidify their confidence in Ireland as a global leader in the Biopharma sector.”