Eli Lilly and Company: Difference between revisions

{{further|Tadalafil}}

In 2003, Eli Lilly introduced [[Tadalafil|Cialis]] (tadalafil), a competitor to [[Pfizer]]'s blockbuster [[Viagra]] for [[erectile dysfunction]]. Cialis maintains an active period of 36 hours, causing it sometimes to be dubbed the "weekend pill". Cialis was developed in a partnership with [[biotechnology]] company Icos Corporation. On 18 December 2006, Lilly bought Icos in order to gain full control of the product.

{{further|Duloxetine}}

Another Lilly manufactured anti-depressant, [[Duloxetine|Cymbalta]], a [[serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor]] used predominantly in the treatment of major depressive disorders and generalized anxiety disorder, ranks with Prozac as one of the most financially successful pharmaceuticals in industry history. It is also used in the treatment of [[fibromyalgia]], [[neuropathy]], [[chronic pain]] and [[osteoarthritis]].

{{further|Gemcitabine}}

In 1996, the [[Food and Drug Administration (United States)|U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] approved [[gemcitabine|Gemzar]] for the treatment of [[pancreatic cancer]]. Gemzar is commonly used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, usually in coordination with 5-FU [[chemotherapy]] and radiation therapy. Gemzar also is routinely used in the treatment of non-small cell [[lung cancer]].

{{further|Methadone}}

Eli Lilly was the first distributor of [[methadone]] in the United States, an [[analgesic]] used frequently in the treatment of [[heroin]], [[opium]] and other [[opioid]] and [[narcotic]] [[drug addiction]]s. Eli Lilly was able to acquire the right to produce the drug commercially for just $1 because the patent rights of the original patent holders, [[IG Farben]] and [[Farbwerke Hoechst]], were not protected after the [[Allies of World War II]] seized all German patents, research records and trade names. Eli Lilly introduced the drug to the United States in 1947, marketed under the trade name "Dolophine".

{{further|Fluoxetine}}

Prozac was one of the first therapies in its class to treat clinical depression by blocking the uptake of [[serotonin]] within the [[human brain]]. Prozac was approved by the U.S. FDA in 1987 for use in treating depression, with generic versions appearing after 2002.

{{further|Secobarbital}}

Eli Lilly has manufactured [[Secobarbital]], a [[barbiturate]] derivative with [[anaesthetic]], [[anticonvulsant]], [[sedative]] and [[hypnosis|hypnotic]] properties. Lilly marketed Secobarbital under the brand name Seconal. Secobarbital is indicated for the treatment of [[epilepsy]], temporary [[insomnia]] and as a pre-operative medication to produce anaesthesia and [[anxiolysis]] in short surgical, diagnostic, or therapeutic procedures which are minimally painful. With the onset of new therapies for the treatment of these conditions, Secobarbital has been less utilized, and Lilly ceased manufacturing it in 1999.

Secobarbital gained considerable attention during the 1970s, when it gained wide popularity as a [[Recreational drug use|recreational drug]]. On 18 September 1970, [[rock music|rock]] guitarist legend [[Jimi Hendrix]] died from a secobarbital overdose. On 22 June 1969, secobarbital overdose was the cause of death of actress [[Judy Garland]]. The drug was a central part of the plot of the hugely popular novel ''[[Valley of the Dolls (novel)|Valley of the Dolls]]'' (1966) by [[Jacqueline Susann]] in which three highly successful [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]] women each fall victim, in various ways, to the drug. The novel was later released as a film by the same name.

{{further|Thiomersal}}

Eli Lilly has developed the [[vaccine]] preservative [[thiomersal]] (also called merthiolate and thimerosal). Thiomersal is effective by causing susceptible bacteria to [[Autolysis (biology)|autolyze]]. Launched in 1930, merthiolate was a mercury-based antiseptic and germicide that "had been formulated at the [[University of Maryland]] with support of a Lilly research fellowship." In November 2002, congressional Republicans inserted a provision into a domestic security bill that President [[George W. Bush]] signed into a law, protecting Eli Lilly from all suits in the federal courts, alleging that the drug, [[Thiomersal]] caused [[autism]] and other neurological disorders in children, such that all such matters be heard by a special master appointed for the purpose, rather than regular federal courts. Its toxicology was that it metabolized into [[ethylmercury]] (C2H5Hg+) and [[thiosalicylate]], in the body, which was immensely hazardous to developing countries like India.

 

Zyprexa ([[Olanzapine]]) (for [[schizophrenia]] and [[bipolar disorder]], as well as [[off-label]] uses) Released in 1996, (see [[#Illegal marketing of Zyprexa|Illegal marketing of Zyprexa]]) it was the company's best selling drug through 2010, when the [[patent]] expired.