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Company
History | Research Milestones | Company
Profile | Highlights
Milestones
in Research and Development
Since our
company was founded more than a century ago, we have been at the forefront of
many significant medical breakthroughs.
1880's
Lilly became one of the first companies to initiate a bona fide
pharmaceutical research program, hiring a chemist as its first scientist.
1920's
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 insulin product, in 1922.
We
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 for 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 to
treat anemia.
1940's
We were among the first companies to develop a method to mass-produce
penicillin, the world's first antibiotic marking the beginning of sustained
effort to fight infectious diseases.
1950's
We introduced vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic,
that remain the last line of defence for patients suffering from serious
hospital infections associated with certain types of resistant bacteria.
Lilly launched erythromycin, an antibiotic whose broad spectrum expanded the aLternatives for penicillin-allergic patients.
1960's
We 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.
1970's
Ceclor, a member of the cephalosporin family, was
launched and eventually became the world's top-selling antibiotic. Lilly
introduced Dobutrexe®, an innovative and lifesaving
cardiovascular product.
1980's
The most significant breakthrough in diabetes care since the 1920's was
marked by our 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. We later applied this technology to the introduction of Humatrope®, therapy for growth hormone deficiency. Lilly
launched Prozac, the first product in a major new class of drugs for the
treatment of clinical depression. Prozac remains the world's most widely prescribed
antidepressant.
1990's
We introduced a series of innovative new products: Gemzar,
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 best selling antipsychotic for the treatment of
schizophrenia; Humalog®, a rapid- acting insulin
product that offers greater dosing convenience and improved 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 and Lilly successfully launched Actos,
an oral antidiabetes agent, in the United States.
Launch plans are under way in more than 70 additional countries.
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