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Eli Lilly to invest $5B on new Virginia manufacturing facility

By Jeff Clabaugh

Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly confirmed plans to build a $5 billion manufacturing facility just west of Richmond, Virginia, in Goochland County, and create 1,800 construction jobs as well as another 650 high-paying science and engineering positions within the next five years.

Lilly chose Goochland County from hundreds of applications based on several criteria, including workforce potential in the Richmond area, local incentives, ready access to utilities, transportation and favorable zoning. Lilly is receiving job creation support through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, created by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, in collaboration with higher education partners.

Any financial support from the state was not disclosed.

The facility, the first of four new facilities it will announce in the U.S. this year, will be its first dedicated, fully integrated active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug product facility for its emerging bioconjugate platform and monoclonal antibody portfolio.

At the Richmond-area site, it will also boost its domestic manufacturing of antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, a targeted therapy designed to deliver potent medicines directly to diseased cells. They act like highly-specialized carriers, maximizing treatment effectiveness while reducing harm to healthy tissue.

ADCs are currently primarily used to treat cancer but are being explored for autoimmune diseases and other conditions.

Lilly said it expects that for every dollar invested in the Virginia facility, up to four dollars will be generated in local economic activity, and each manufacturing job will support multiple positions in related industries, such as supply chain, logistics and retail.

Lilly will also engage locally, partnering with area universities and supporting community education initiatives in Virginia.

Lilly will announce its three other new U.S. facilities before the end of this year, and expects to begin making medicines at them within five years.

Eli Lilly announced in February it would spend at least $27 billion to build new U.S. manufacturing plants, adding to $23 billion previous investments since 2020. It is among drugmakers moving to boost U.S. production on President Donald Trump’s warning to clamp down on pharmaceutical imports with steep tariffs.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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