According to top officials, US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly plans to expand its presence in India with a $1 billion strategic investment. Its strategy focuses on increasing manufacturing supply capacity and bidding to the workforce through collaboration with a drug partner.
According to the reports by Reuters, she has also introduced an exclusive drug for weight loss, Mounjaro.
Partnering with local contract manufacturers, Lilly aims to increase the supply of its essential medicines for conditions such as obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. “We’re considerably increasing our global manufacturing capacity, with India playing a key role in developing our network’s capabilities,” stated Patrik Jonsson, President of Lilly International.
Lilly’s plans in India coincide with global drugmakers expanding their US capacity, partly due to the Trump administration’s 100% tariff on imported branded drugs, effective from October 1, 2025. Last month, Lilly announced a $5 billion investment in Virginia, as a part of its $27 billion plan for four US plants over five years.
The company faces rising competition from India’s generics, which are racing to launch cheaper versions of Wegovy, whose main active ingredient, semaglutide, loses patent protection next year.
The launch of Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy has boosted awareness of obesity treatments in a country with the world’s second-largest obese population by 2050. Sales of both drugs doubled within months, Reuters reported.
Lilly is establishing a manufacturing and quality facility in Hyderabad as part of its expansion, which will extend beyond the global capability centre. The hub will oversee India’s contract manufacturing and offer technical capabilities.
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The company plans to start recruiting engineers, chemists, analytical scientists, QC/QA experts, and managers immediately, Reuters reports.
