Eli Lilly announced plans to manufacture its new weight loss pill, orforglipron, in the U.S., with global distribution set to begin in 2026, Bloomberg reported April 18.
The move comes as President Donald Trump presses companies to shift to domestic production.
“We’re going to make this medicine here in the United States,” CEO Dave Ricks said in an interview on Fox Business. “We’ll be proud to make this medicine at that site and ship it around the world from our country.”
Orforglipron, a once-daily oral medication, has shown similar trial results comparable to Ozempic, helping patients lose weight and control blood sugar.
Eli Lilly is investing heavily in domestic production, part of a broader $27 billion commitment to build four new U.S. manufacturing sites. By producing orforglipron, the company could also sidestep proposed pharmaceutical tariffs.
Despite the drug’s promise, the Trump administration has been slow to support weight loss medications in public programs, recently putting a halt to a Biden proposal to cover them under Medicare.
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