“Eli Lilly and Company has been in business
more than 132 years. The global, research-based company was founded in May 1876
by Colonel Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Ind., in the Midwestern section of the United States.
A 38-year-old pharmaceutical chemist and a veteran of the U.S. Civil War,
Colonel Lilly was frustrated by the poorly prepared, often ineffective
medicines of his day. Consequently, he made these commitments to himself and to
society:
He would found a company that manufactured
pharmaceutical products of the highest possible quality.
His company would develop only medicines that
would be dispensed at the suggestion of physicians rather than by eloquent
sideshow hucksters
Lilly pharmaceuticals would be based on the
best science of the day.
Although his business flourished, Colonel Lilly
wasn't satisfied with the traditional methods of testing the quality of his
products. In 1886, he hired a young chemist to function as a full-time
scientist, using and improving upon the newest techniques for quality
evaluation. Together, they laid the foundation for the Lilly tradition: a dedication
that first concentrated on the quality of existing products and later expanded
to include the discovery and development of new and better pharmaceuticals.
Eventually, Colonel Lilly's son, Josiah K.
Lilly Sr., and two grandsons, Eli Lilly and Josiah K. Lilly Jr., each served as
president of the company. And each contributed a distinctive approach to
management. Together, these management styles established a corporate culture
in which Lilly employees were viewed as the company's most valuable assets, a
belief that is still the cornerstone of our corporate philosophy.
Milestones in Medical ResearchSince our company
was founded over 130 years ago, Eli Lilly and Company has been at the forefront
of many significant medical breakthroughs.
1880s -
Lilly was one of the first companies to initiate a bona fide pharmaceutical
research program, hiring a pharmaceutical chemist as its first scientist.
1920s - Our researchers collaborated with
Frederick Banting and Charles Best of the University of Toronto
to isolate and purify insulin for the treatment of diabetes, then a fatal
disease with no effective treatment options. The work resulted in Lilly's
introduction of Iletin, the world's first commercially available insulin
product, in 1923. Lilly initiated a research program to find a treatment for
pernicious anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder, and introduced a
liver-extract product that served as a standard of therapy for decades. The
company's collaborators on the project, two researchers at Harvard University,
later shared a Nobel Prize for the discovery of liver therapy against anemias.
1940s - Lilly
was among the first companies to develop a method to mass-produce penicillin,
the world's first antibiotic, marking the beginning of a sustained effort to fight
infectious diseases.
1950s - The
company introduced vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic that remains the last line
of defense for patients suffering from serious hospital infections associated
with certain types of resistant bacteria. Lilly launched erythromycin, an
antibiotic whose broad antimicrobial spectrum expands the alternatives for
penicillin-allergic patients.
1960s - Lilly launched the first of a long line of
oral and injectable antibiotics in a new class called cephalosporins. Over the
next two decades, the company pioneered important chemical breakthroughs that
allowed the large-scale production of these products, which include Keflex® and
Kefzol®.
The company also introduced vincristine and
vinblastine, anticancer drugs known as vinca alkaloids that are derived from
the rosy periwinkle plant.
1970s - Ceclor®, a member of the cephalosporin
family, was launched and eventually became the world's top-selling oral
antibiotic. Lilly introduced Dobutrex®, an innovative and lifesaving
cardiovascular product.
1980s - The most significant breakthrough
in diabetes care since the 1920s was marked by Lilly's 1982 introduction of
Humulin® insulin identical to that produced by the human body. Humulin is the
world's first human-health-care product created using recombinant DNA
technology. Lilly later applied this technology to the introduction of
Humatrope®, a new therapy for growth hormone deficiency in children. Lilly
launched Prozac®, the first major introduction in a new class of drugs for
treatment of clinical depression.
1990s - Lilly
introduced a stream of innovative new products: Gemzar®, a drug for the
treatment of pancreatic and non-small-cell lung cancer; ReoPro®, a
cardiovascular drug that prevents blood clots following certain heart procedures,
such as angioplasty; Zyprexa®, now the world's top-selling antipsychotic for
the treatment of schizophrenia; Humalog®, a fast-acting insulin product that
offers greater dosing convenience to improve blood-sugar control; and Evista®,
the first of a new class of drugs to be used for the prevention and treatment
of postmenopausal osteoporosis. In 1999, Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. and
Lilly successfully launched Actos®, an oral antidiabetes agent.
2000s - In
late 2000, Lilly submitted Forteo®, a novel treatment for osteoporosis, for
regulatory review. Lilly launched another first-in-class product, Xigris®, for
the treatment of severe sepsis in adult patients with a high risk of death. In
2001, the company also submitted several innovative new compounds for
regulatory review: atomoxetine for the treatment of attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents, and adults; Cialis® for the
treatment of erectile dysfunction; and duloxetine for the treatment of major
depressive disorder.
In 2002, Cialis®, a medication to treat male
erectile dysfunction, was approved for marketing in the European Union; the U.S. launch
followed in 2004. Forteo®, a first-in-class medicine for osteoporosis patients
to stimulate new bone formation, also was approved. Strattera®, a nonstimulant,
noncontrolled medication to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
received approval.
In 2004, Symbyax®, the first and only
FDA-approved medication to treat bipolar depression, was launched in the U.S.
Alimta® was approved for use with cisplatin, a standard chemotherapy agent, for
the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Cymbalta® was approved as a
new treatment for major depressive disorder and diabetic peripheral neuropathic
pain.
In 2005, Byetta®, a first in a new class of
medicines known as incretin mimetics to treat type 2 diabetes, was approved and
launched in the U.S.
In 2006, Gemzar® was approved for use in the
treatment of women living with recurrent ovarian cancer. This marked the fourth
approval by the FDA for this anti-cancer agent.
In 2007, the FDA approved osteoporosis drug,
Evista®, to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in two populations of
postmenopausal women: women with osteoporosis and women at high risk for
invasive breast cancer. The FDA also approved Cymbalta® for the maintenance
treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.
In 2008, Cialis® was approved by the FDA for
once-daily use for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
In 2009, Effient was approved by the FDA for
the reduction of thrombotic cardiovascular events (including stent thrombosis)
in patients with acute coronary syndromes who are managed with an
artery-opening procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PCI
usually includes the placement of a stent to help keep the artery open.”
