Our mission includes finding answers for some of the world's most urgent
medical needs. We focus our internal research efforts primarily on four
core therapeutic areas: neuroscience; endocrine disorders; cancer; and cardiovascular diseases.
We also continue to pursue innovative science and new opportunities
beyond our targeted disease categories. We embrace a philosophy of "research
innovation without walls," meaning that we pursue cutting-edge
science and technology from external, as well as internal, sources.
In the last decade, we have introduced important new drugs for the
treatment of cancer, schizophrenia, osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular
complications - and, most recently, severe sepsis. Our pipeline, one
of the strongest in the industry, has the potential to address many
serious unmet medical needs of people around the world.
Some of the conditions our drugs treat include:
Sepsis - In late 2001,
we launched in the United States our innovative new biotech therapy,
Xigris®, for the treatment of life-threatening severe sepsis.
Sepsis is the body's overwhelming systemic response to infection that
can lead to organ failure and ultimately, to death. Xigris is the
first treatment approved for the reduction of mortality in adult patients
with severe sepsis who have a high risk of death.
Cancer - Lilly has become an emerging force in
cancer research by focusing on the discovery and development of new
anticancer agents with unique modes of action designed to address
a variety of tumors. These include breast, lung, pancreatic, prostate,
bladder, colon and ovarian cancers.
Diabetes - Lilly is a leader in diabetes research,
dating back to our role in developing the world's first commercially
available insulin product, Iletin®, in 1923. We continue to pursue
a number of diabetes-related targets. We're also working to develop
a therapy to treat some of the complications of diabetes.
Depression - Lilly revolutionized the treatment
of this debilitating disease with the introduction of Prozac®
in the late 1980s. Although our first-in-class antidepressant lost
U.S. market exclusivity in 2001 and experienced generic competition,
we remain committed to treating those who suffer from depression and
other mental illnesses. Symbyax™, a medication
for the treatment of bipolar depression, received approval by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2003. Lilly received approval
in 2004 from the FDA for Cymbalta™, (duloxetine HCl), a potent serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.
Osteoporosis - This "silent disease"
leads to the loss of bone. In 2002, Lilly gained approval of Forteo®,
a first-in-class medication that stimulates bone formation. Evista®,
another Lilly drug, is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM)
and acts through estrogen receptors to restore bone markers to pre-menopausal
levels and to significantly reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures
in postmenopausal women.
Erectile dysfunction - Affecting an estimated 150
million men and their partners worldwide, erectile dysfunction is
the consistent inability to attain and maintain a penile erection
sufficient for sexual intercourse. In 2003, we launched Cialis®,
a molecule from our biotech partner ICOS Corporation, in more than
45 countries for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Cialis®
received FDA approval in 2003 in the United States.
Stress urinary incontinence - Stress incontinence
occurs due to physical stress, such as coughing, lifting or even laughing.
Our compound duloxetine, under study for depression, also shows potential
as a treatment for stress incontinence.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - Attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects two million or more American
children. The most widely prescribed drugs for ADHD are psychostimulants.
Strattera®, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, received
FDA approval in 2002 and was launched in 2003 in the United States.
Products|
Access to Medicines