Eli Lilly Bets Big On India With $1B Investment To Boost Mounjaro, Drug Manufacturing Network

The investment will support Lilly’s partnerships with Indian drugmakers, the launch of a new manufacturing hub in Hyderabad, and the expansion of its supply chain for key treatments including diabetes, obesity, and cancer drugs.

Eli Lilly’s stock rose 0.6% in premarket trading on Monday after the pharmaceutical giant said it will invest over $1 billion in India in the coming years to expand manufacturing and supply through local drugmakers, as part of its global production push.

The company aims to boost access to key drugs for obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Lilly, which launched its blockbuster weight-loss drug, Mounjaro, in India this year, currently has no manufacturing facility in the country but is “actively engaging with contract manufacturers,” according to a Reuters report. 

The investment comes amid a global manufacturing shift following the Trump administration’s 100% tariff on imported branded and patented drugs from Oct. 1. Last month, Lilly announced a $5 billion facility in Virginia, part of a $27 billion plan to build four new U.S. plants.

In India, the company is also establishing a new manufacturing and quality hub in Hyderabad, which will manage its local contract manufacturing network and technical operations. Hiring for engineers, chemists, and quality experts will begin immediately, Lilly said.

The launch of Mounjaro, alongside Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, has spurred strong demand for obesity drugs in India, which is expected to have the world’s second-largest obese population by 2050. Sales of both drugs have doubled since launch, even as local generics prepare cheaper semaglutide versions once patents expire next year.

Eli Lilly’s stock has risen 9% so far in 2025.

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