Eli Lilly Cuts Planned €2.3B Alzey, Germany GLP-1 Manufacturing Plant in Half: Jobs Drop from 1,000 to 500, Capital Redirects to US Amid German 'Dynamic Manufacturer Rebate' Reform
Eli Lilly confirmed in reporting on June 22-23, 2026 that it is halving its planned €2.3 billion (US$2.7 billion) investment at the under-construction Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate injectable manufacturing site, reducing planned headcount from approximately 1,000 to 500 and pushing the redirected capital toward US sites, most likely Lilly's Pennsylvania facility. The plant produces injectable GLP-1 drugs Mounjaro (tirzepatide for type-2 diabetes), Zepbound (tirzepatide for obesity), and Trulicity (dulaglutide), and is still scheduled to open in 2027 at the reduced capacity. Lilly cited Germany's proposed healthcare reform legislation, particularly a 'dynamic manufacturer rebate' that would automatically lower drug reimbursements as utilization climbs. Boehringer Ingelheim is also slashing planned German investment by at least $1 billion, and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has signaled a reassessment. Lilly's CEO David Ricks told the German government the company 'can no longer commit to the full vision for Alzey.' The cut arrives the same week as STAT's retatrutide compassionate-use story, sharpening the contrast between Lilly's expanding US capital deployment and tightening European pricing.