Eli Lilly Plans Manufacturing Expansion as Obesity Drug Demand Soars

Eli Lilly & Co. will spend $450 million to expand a manufacturing site in North Carolina as demand grows for its diabetes drug that also has the potential to treat obesity.

With the investment, Lilly is looking to double its capacity to make drugs that mimic incretin, a hormone that gives the sensation of having eaten, by the end of the year, according to a statement Tuesday from the Indianapolis-based drugmaker. Those include Lilly’s Mounjaro, which has approval to treat diabetes and is seen as having potential as a weight-loss medication.