Eli Lilly and Company

One of the world's largest corporations, Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. The company's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. The company was founded in 1876 by a 38-year-old pharmaceutical chemist, Eli Lilly.

Fortune 500 company

A Fortune 500 corporation, Eli Lilly had revenues of $14.6 billion in 2005, making it the 148th largest company in the United States. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is a member of the S&P 500 stock index. Eli Lilly is one of the Nifty Fifty stocks that propelled the late 20th century bull market.

Pharmaceutical brands

Eli Lilly is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of pharmaceutical therapies for cancer, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system and endocrine system disorders, diabetes, infectious diseases, and other diagnoses.

Prozac

Among the company's major pharmaceutical breakthroughs are cephalosporin, erythromycin, insulin, and, with Prozac (fluoxetine), the world's first and most prominent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for the treatment of clinical depression. Prozac has been a breakthrough therapy, and the first such therapy in its class to treat clinical depression by stimulating the release of serotonin within the human brain. It is the best-selling anti-depressant in history and gave rise to a number of comparably-functioning therapies for the treatment of clinical depression and other central nervous system disorders.

Other therapies

In addition to Prozac, some of Lilly's famous product trademarks include Cymbalta (for pain and major depressive disorders), Darvocet (for pain), Evista (for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis), Gemzar (a chemotherapy agent used in cancer treatment), Humalog (for diabetes), Humatrope (human growth hormone) and Zyprexa (used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder).

Methadone

Eli Lilly was the first distributor of methadone, an analgesic used frequently in the treatment of heroin, opium and other opiod and narcotic drug addictions.

Thimerosal

Eli Lilly also developed the controversial vaccine preservative thimerosal (also called merthiolate). Thimersosal is effectual by causing susceptible bacteria to autolyze.

Strattera and adult ADHD controversy

In 2002, Lilly marketed a drug called Strattera. Strattera was the first non-stimulant medication approved for the treatment of Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and also the first to be specifically marketed to adults with this disorder.

The medication has been used by more than two million patients. In 2004, Strattera grossed $632 million dollars of the $2.6 billion U.S. ADHD pharmaceutical market, and was the fastest growing medication in this market.

Strattera has received a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black-box warning, the highest level of warning a drug can receive, as a result of studies showing a possible link between use of the drug and suicidal thoughts in children, as well as possible liver damage in adults. Lilly admits to the medication having several other side effects, including pain during urination and orgasm, urinary retention, a tightening of the scrotum, mood swings, and dry mouth.

Several internet sources, including FAQ Farm, allege horror stories of people using this medication. Though Strattera was originally developed as an anti-depressant, the drug also has received FDA approval for use in the treatment of adult ADHD, which has become its more common clinical use.

Lilly owns the domain adultadd.com, which allows visitors to take a test to see if they have the alleged condition, and the company has run advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the condition. This has been controversial because there are some medical professionals who believe that ADHD is overdiagnosed. Some even contend that the condition does not even exist in adults, though Lilly and other medical professionals have disagreed with this position.

Cialis

In 2003, Eli Lilly introduced Cialis (tadalafil), a competitor to Pfizer's blockbuster Viagra for erectile dysfunction. Cialis was developed in a partnership with biotechnology company ICOS. Cialis maintains an active period of 36 hours, causing it to be dubbed the "weekend pill" by some.

Personnel

Along with General Electric, IBM and Procter & Gamble, Eli Lilly has developed a global reputation for attracting some of the world's brightest corporate managerial talent.

Current Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels served as Vice President of North American Operations for the company prior to his election. Ken Lay of Enron-scandal fame once served on the company's board. In 2005, Randall L. Tobias, a former CEO of the company, was appointed by President George W. Bush as an Ambassador-level U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, reporting to United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Many other Lilly employees have gone on to major business and governmental roles.

The company also has attracted some of the world's premier scientists. Nobel Prize-winning chemist Roald Hoffmann, for instance, has consulted with the company, as have other premier leaders in the fields of chemistry and pharmacology.

Accolades

In 2006, Fortune magazine named Eli Lilly one of the top 100 companies in the United States for which to work. Also in 2006, Barron's Magazine named the company among the top 500 best managed companies in the U.S. The company was named one of the top 10 Best Companies for working mothers in 2004 by Working Mothers magazine.

External links

Lilly | イーライリリー・アンド・カンパニー | Eli Lilly

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