imageSlide
Six generations of caring and discovery
100px
Ringside
medium
Historic photo of Lilly employees packing up polio vaccines for shipping
white
one
left
The Lilly story began 150 years ago, when founder Colonel Eli Lilly combined scientific rigor and passion for discovery with caring for the people and communities the company served.
48px
Employees honor his legacy by embodying his call to "Take what you find here and make it better and better." Here are examples of how we've made life better over time.
20px
one
right
1906
100px
Lilly continued its humanitarian policies by replacing pharmaceutical supplies lost in natural disasters at no cost to aid those affected by the San Francisco earthquake.
20px
large
1917
100px
Partnering with American Red Cross, Lilly set up a medical field hospital in France, staffed by Indiana personnel, to treat wounded soldiers of all nationalities during World War I.
20px
large
right
1923
100px
Lilly introduced lletin® (animal-source insulin, Lilly), the world's first commercially available insulin product, to treat diabetes, a then-fatal disease with no effective treatment options.
20px
large
left
1928
100px
Lilly introduced a liver-extract product to treat pernicious anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder, that served as a standard of therapy for decades.
20px
large
right
1937
100px
Lilly family members established the Lilly Endowment to pursue personal philanthropic efforts.
20px
large
1940s
100px
Lilly was among the first companies to develop a method to mass-produce Penicillin-G, the world's first widely available antibiotic, marking the beginning of a sustained effort to fight infectious diseases.
20px
large
right
1955
100px
Lilly was the first company to manufacture and distribute the Salk Polio Vaccine globally.
20px
spacer
large
top
1957
100px
Lilly leaders were named co-chair and honorary chair of the first Indianapolis United Fund drive, an effort unifying important charitable institution funds to maximize impact; the UF would be a driving force behind Lilly volunteer hours and donations for decades to come.
20px
left
1958
100px
Lilly introduced Vancocin® (vancomycin hydrochloride, Lilly), an antibiotic for infections associated with certain types of drug-resistant bacteria.
20px
divider
small
primary
large
right
1961
100px
Velban® (vinblastine, Lilly), the company's first oncology drug derived from an alkaloid of the Madagascar periwinkle plant, was introduced to treat several types of cancer.
20px
large
left
1982
100px
Lilly introduced Humulin® (human insulin derived from rDNA, Lilly), insulin identical to that produced by the human body, and the world's first human-health-care product created using recombinant DNA technology.
20px
large
right
1986
100px
Lilly introduced Prozac® (fluoxetine hydrochloride, Lilly) in Belgium as a treatment of clinical depression.
20px
large
left
1996
100px
Lilly introduced Zyprexa® (olanzapine, Lilly) to treat schizophrenia.
Lilly introduced Gemzar (gemcitabine hydrochloride, Lilly), a treatment for pancreatic and non-small-cell lung cancer.
20px
large
right
2001
100px
Lilly started the Lilly Camp Care Package program, donating more than $25 million in insulin, supplies, scholarships and educational resources to diabetes camps.
20px
large
left
2003
100px
Lilly launched the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership to help address the rising burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in some of the world's most underserved communities.
20px
large
right
2004
100px
Lilly introduced Cymbalta® (duloxetine hydrochloride, Lilly) as a treatment for major depressive disorder.
20px
large
2008
100px
Lilly's Global Day of Service program launched, helping friends and neighbors in communities around the world; it ranks among the largest single-day volunteer initiatives of any U.S. company.
20px
large
right
2011
100px
Lilly launched Connecting Hearts Abroad, an employee volunteer program that sends dozens of employees annually to countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
20px
large
top
2011
100px
The Lilly NCD Partnership was created to fight the rising burden of non-communicable diseases; the first five years focused on diabetes best practices.
20px
large
left
2015
100px
Lilly donated $13.2 million to United Way, continuing the philanthropic commitment begun by Colonel Lilly in
the 1800s.
the 1800s.
20px
divider
small
primary
large
right
2018
100px
The Lilly Diabetes Solution Center (833-808-1234) opened to assist people who need help paying for their Lilly insulin in the U.S.
20px
large
2019
100px
Lilly made its largest acquisition to date, purchasing Loxo Oncology to broaden treatment options for cancer patients through first-in-class and best-in-class medicines.
20px
large
right
2019
100px
The first Lilly Gateway Labs opened in San Francisco; a shared innovation space for scientific start-ups discovering new medicines, the model since expanded to include multiple more locations in the U.S and China.
20px
large
left
2020
100px
Beginning in February 2020, Lilly helped fight COVID-19 by providing testing, donating PPE supplies and developing treatments, including the first antibody.
20px
large
right
2020
100px
Lilly launched the Lilly Insulin Value Program, providing a $35 copay card to help with the cost for certain medicines, regardless of insurance status.
20px
large
left
2022
100px
Providing patients a new treatment option, Lilly introduced its next-generation incretin medicine, Mounjaro® (tirzepatide), to treat diabetes.
20px
large
right
2023
100px
The Lilly Insulin Value Program expanded making it easier for patients to get Lilly insulin for $35 and offering price cuts on additional diabetes medications.
20px
large
left
2023
100px
Zepbound® (tirzepatide) approved for chronic weight management, moving the company into a new disease area.
20px
top
2024
100px
In a remarkable year of progress for patients, Lilly introduced Kisunla® (donanemab), its first medicine to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
20px
left
2024
100px
To ensure patients can benefit from Lilly’s pioneering treatments, the company launched LillyDirect® to reimagine the consumer health care experience.
20px
divider
small
primary
large
right
2024
100px
Zepbound® (tirzepatide) was approved with a new indication as the first and only prescription medicine for adults living with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and obesity.
20px
divider
small
primary
large
left
2024
100px
Working to unlock new hope for people living with chronic or currently untreatable illnesses, Lilly opened the Seaport Innovation Center for genetic medicine research.
20px
divider
small
primary
large
top
2025
100px
To help reach more patients with our medicines, Lilly announced additional investments in new manufacturing facilities, bringing the company’s total commitment to $50 billion since 2020.
20px
divider
small
primary
large
left
2026
100px
FoundayoTM (orforglipron), a GLP-1 pill approved for weight loss.
20px
divider
small
primary
large
right
2026
100px
May 10 marked a significant company milestone as Lilly celebrated 150 years of making medicines that have helped people around the world live healthier.
20px
spacer
large
large