Singapore, Dec. 12 -- Eli Lilly and Company has announced a plan to invest more than $6 billion in a new manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama.The site will focus on producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for small molecule synthetic and peptide medicines. It is the third of four new US sites the company intends to develop.

The new facility will also be one of the locations responsible for producing orforglipron, Lilly's first oral, small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. The company expects to submit this medicine for regulatory approval for obesity later this year.

The investment will create around 450 skilled jobs, including roles for engineers, scientists, operations staff and laboratory technicians. Construction ...