Eli Lilly to build new facility in Texas

  • CELEBRATE FREEDOM WEEK-- Capitol Elementary students wrapped up Celebrate Freedom Week last week in the library with Mrs. Alexander. Students read a variety of books, wrote poems, discussed what they value about their freedom, what freedom means to them, watched a podcast of a book about our Founding Fathers, and learned a song and poem about the Preamble to the Constitution. Pictured are Addisyn Garza, Jamisyn Garza, Makenzie Del Campo, Samantha Villalba (Levelland ISD photo)
    CELEBRATE FREEDOM WEEK-- Capitol Elementary students wrapped up Celebrate Freedom Week last week in the library with Mrs. Alexander. Students read a variety of books, wrote poems, discussed what they value about their freedom, what freedom means to them, watched a podcast of a book about our Founding Fathers, and learned a song and poem about the Preamble to the Constitution. Pictured are Addisyn Garza, Jamisyn Garza, Makenzie Del Campo, Samantha Villalba (Levelland ISD photo)

    Governor Greg Abbott announced Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) will construct an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility, totaling around 1 million square feet in Harris County at Generation Park.

    According to the press release, Lilly will invest more than $6.5 billion and create more than 600 new jobs. A Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $5.5 million has been extended to Lilly, and the project has been approved under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation (JETI) program.

    The Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) is a state-funded program, drawing money from Texas taxpayer funds.

    Texas is the best state in America for doing busines” said Abbott. ‘;This announcement by Lilly will boost pharmaceutical manufacturing in the state of Texas and ensure that we do not rely on other countries for the manufacturing and supply of medicines and medical supplies.”

    The new site in Harris County will focus on domestic production of next-generation small molecule synthetic medicines. This is the largest investment in API manufacturing in Texas to date.

    While state and local government officials praised the plan for the pharmaceutical facility, no mention has been made of the numerous lawsuits Lilly have been involved in over the years covering a wide range of issues.

    Lilly lawsuits include the fraud and off-label marketing of Zyprexa which the company settled with the government for $1.4 billion, lawsuits alleging the companies insulin products were not safe and caused serious side effects, suits for artificially inflating the prices of its diabetes drugs, patent infringements, employment discrimination and EPA violations at it manufacturing facilities.