Celltrion acquires Eli Lilly bio plant in New Jersey
Celltrion said Tuesday it has signed a deal to acquire Eli Lilly’s biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Branchburg, New Jersey, in a preemptive move to shield itself from proposed U.S. pharma tariffs. In a regulatory filing, the biotech firm said its U.S. unit, Celltrion USA, has acquired the full stake of ImClone Systems, an Eli Lilly subsidiary running the plant, for $330 million. Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin said during an online press conference that the company will invest a total of 1.4 trillion won ($1 billion) to run and acquire the plant and expand its facilities in the near future. The up-front amount is 700 billion won, including the acquisition price and early operation costs, with the remaining 700 billion won to be used for expansion. “As the Donald Trump administration demands tariffs for global Big Pharma, I thought ‘Made in USA’ could be the answer,” Seo said. “Since the acquisition covers the costly purification lines and the transfer of technical staff, the company was able to save a significant amount of expenses.” The acquisition came just months
Sep 23, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo