News briefs: Eli Lilly expands insulin facility; and Sanofi criticized over Lemtrada

US drug major Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) has announced a $140 million expansion to the company's Indianapolis insulin manufacturing operations. The 80,000-square-foot expansion, which will enable the manufacturing of insulin cartridges to meet the growing diabetes demand in the USA, represents one of the most significant investments in Lilly's USA-based manufacturing operations in the past decade.

Construction will begin immediately with completion expected in March 2014. During this period, construction trade staffing will average 250, with peak employment at around 350 workers at the site. Once operational in 2015, more than 100 full-time, highly skilled, specialized technicians, scientists, and engineers will be needed to manage the operations.

Diabetes care is a major segment of Lilly's pharmaceutical business with projections from health care experts - including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - indicating that as many as one in three US adults could have diabetes by 2050. Diabetes afflicted 366 million people worldwide last year, according to the International Diabetes Federation.