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Article: Eli Lilly boosts China footprint with US$3 billion plan to expand supply chain

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Eli Lilly is significantly expanding its operations in China with a new US$3 billion investment, bringing its total cumulative investment there to nearly US$6 billion. The plan focuses on establishing a domestic production and supply system for oral solid preparations, specifically for its new diabetes and obesity drug, orforglipron.

The company is also forming strategic partnerships with local firms, including a US$200 million investment to support capacity building at Pharmaron Beijing. This move is part of an intensifying race among global pharmaceutical giants to expand their footprint in the Chinese market.

The main topics covered are corporate investment, pharmaceutical manufacturing expansion, and strategic partnerships in China.

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https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3346260/eli-lilly-boosts-china-footprint-us3-billion-plan-expand-supply-chain?utm_source=rss_feed

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Tech - South China Morning Post

Published Date

2026-03-11 13:39

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2026-03-11 11:30

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2026-03-11 11:32

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Eli Lilly boosts China footprint with US$3 billion plan to expand supply chain
US firm is strengthening its China operations amid an intensifying expansion race with other pharmaceutical giants
The move would bring the total cumulative investment of Eli Lilly, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company by market capitalisation, in China to nearly US$6 billion, according to a statement released on its WeChat account on Wednesday.
“This investment … underscores our strategic layout and firm commitment to the future,” said Edgardo Hernandez, executive vice-president and president of manufacturing operations at the US giant.
The centrepiece of the new investment is the establishment of a domestic production and supply system for oral solid preparations. Eli Lilly plans to build high-volume manufacturing capacity for orforglipron, its first-in-class oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist currently under review for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
At the same time, Eli Lilly said it would expand its reach through strategic partnerships with domestic leaders, including Pharmaron Beijing, a prominent contract research and manufacturing organisation. Eli Lilly would invest US$200 million to support Pharmaron’s technical capacity building, with the potential for further scale-up as the project evolved.