Eli Lilly, an Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical manufacturer, broke ground on a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Goochland County, Virginia, near Richmond. The site will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished medicines in one integrated facility, with dedicated API capacity for bioconjugates and large-molecule medicines.

The Virginia facility will focus on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), targeted cancer therapies that combine antibodies with cytotoxic drugs. The medicines are designed to direct treatment toward diseased cells while limiting exposure to healthy tissue. The site reportedly will incorporate machine learning, artificial intelligence, digitally integrated systems, and advanced data analytics, with automation embedded throughout manufacturing operations. The facility is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

Lilly expects the capital project to create 650 permanent jobs, including positions for engineers, scientists, operations personnel, and laboratory technicians, and to generate approximately 1,800 construction jobs.

The company has also committed $40 million to support the Virginia Center for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, a statewide workforce development network involving industry, government and higher education partners. The network will include a pilot-scale training center in Goochland County, slated to open in 2028.

The capital expenditure is one of 10 U.S. manufacturing sites Lilly has announced since 2020 as part of more than $50 billion in planned domestic investments. Five of the sites are intended to produce APIs.

The expansion includes a $6.5 billion API manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, where Lilly broke ground in September. That site is intended to produce small-molecule medicines, including the company’s oral GLP-1 drug Foundayo (orforglipron), and is expected to employ more than 600 people, according to the company.