US group invests in Alzey
Scholz pledges support for Germany as a pharmaceutical location
Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks (lr), Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer and Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach at the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony in Alzey. photo
© Arne Dedert/dpa
The US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is investing 2.3 billion euros in a new plant in Rhineland-Palatinate. Chancellor Scholz emphasizes that this is one of the largest investments in Germany as a pharmaceutical location in decades.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) sees the strengthening of the pharmaceutical location Germany as an important task for the federal government. “Whatever we as a federal government can do to strengthen Germany as a pharmaceutical location, we will do that,” said Scholz at the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for a new plant of the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate.
The US group is investing around 2.3 billion euros in the location in Rheinhessen. “We are talking about one, if not the largest single investment in Germany as a pharmaceutical location since reunification,” said Scholz.
Eli Lilly is building a manufacturing facility for injectable medications in Alzey. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer and, according to the company, commissioning is planned for 2027 and up to 1,000 people will work there. There were no subsidies for the settlement.
Scholz also referred to the Biontech headquarters in Mainz, the opening of the German headquarters of the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in Mainz last year and the laying of the foundation stone for a new development center at Boehringer Ingelheim in 2023.
The diabetes drug Mounjaro with the active ingredient tirzepatide is also produced in Alzey. The same active ingredient is in the Eli Lilly weight loss product Zepbound, which has been available in the USA since November and which experts predict will be a great success. The appetite suppressant Mounjaro is a competing product to the box office hit Wegovy from Novo Nordisk, also based in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Lauterbach sees Germany as a pioneer in studies
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) emphasized that the federal government will systematically improve the conditions for further pharmaceutical settlements in Germany with a series of laws as part of the pharmaceutical strategy in the coming years. “Germany will be the country where most studies in Europe will be carried out in the pharmaceutical industry, but also in the medical device industry,” he said.