BIO 2026: Indiana, biopharma investment and the Lilly effect

The United States supports domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing, which has led to billions of dollars in industry investment. At the BIO 2026 conference in San Diego, the new BioHeartland Indiana brand was introduced to compete with other states for attracting investments. Indiana has a unique position due to the presence of pharmaceutical company Lilly, animal health manufacturer Elanco, and plant science company Corteva. Lilly has invested 21 billion dollars in its home state since 2020, with a recent announcement of an additional 4.5 billion dollars to expand its facilities. Lilly's success with tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) for treating diabetes and obesity led to a 45 percent increase in sales to 65.2 billion dollars in 2025. The state also received over 51 million dollars in federal funding to establish a biomanufacturing training facility, which will open in fall 2027. More than 70,000 people work in the life sciences sector in Indiana.