Position Statements
Below you will find Lilly’s views on certain issues that we are often asked about by customers, policymakers, employees and other stakeholders.
innovation, drug pricing and more.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The AI policy landscape is rapidly developing, but there are several challenges and barriers to overcome before the full potential of digital health can be achieved. We support the development of AI laws and regulations, and we recognize there is a need for a multitude of stakeholders to be part of the AI legislative and rulemaking processes. Any AI requirements must ensure that constituents use AI in a responsible manner, particularly for biopharmaceutical manufacturers, to bring the best medicines to patients in a safe and effective way.
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Bioethics
We strive to maintain the highest standards of bioethical behavior. We believe we have a responsibility to protect the rights and welfare of patients and research participants, to treat animals ethically, and to preserve the integrity of the scientific process in the design, conduct and communication of our research.
Strong policies and principles support our goal to ensure that research conducted by employees or third parties align with our values and comply with relevant local, national and transnational laws and regulations.
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Inclusion
Environment and climate change
Our purpose is to make life better, and that includes protecting and preserving the world we live in. Making medicines requires the use of valuable resources, including energy, water and raw materials. We are working to reduce our environmental impact across the life cycles of our medicines and supply chain. This includes establishing 2030 improvement goals for climate, waste and water. To track progress, we measure and manage energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions and the generation of waste and wastewater throughout the manufacturing process.
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Health Care Access
We believe access to health care means ensuring every person has a fair opportunity to live their healthiest life. We recognize that different factors such as financial resources, geographic location and access to education create different starting points for each person’s health journey. These factors significantly impact a person’s access to quality care and overall well-being. Addressing these obstacles is essential for achieving holistic health for all. Many of our health care access initiatives focus on removing barriers to care, championing inclusive innovation in research, and developing sustainable solutions with communities. While there is still work to be done, our commitment to patient-centered approaches and community-driven strategies continues to guide our efforts. We are working on addressing the social determinants of health to provide everyone with the opportunity to achieve their best health.
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Increase Access to Medicines
Diversity in Clinical Research
Human rights
We support the United Nations Global Compact’s Ten Principles on respecting internationally proclaimed human rights. One of our long-established core values – respect for people – guides us to maintain and uphold an environment built on mutual respect, openness and individual integrity. This includes our concern for all people who touch or are touched by our company – patients, customers, employees, shareholders, partners, suppliers and communities. Our purpose is to unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. While this encapsulates discovering innovative medicines, it also guides our efforts for employees, partners and suppliers to uphold our values and respect human rights as we work together to improve lives.
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Operating ethically and responsibly
We’re committed to upholding high standards of corporate conduct in our business dealings. To earn and maintain the trust of patients and stakeholders, we believe it is essential to demonstrate ethical behavior, industry compliance and personal integrity.
We set high standards for our products, operations and performance, and we are always seeking opportunities to enhance these areas.
Our robust code of conduct, policies and procedures governing behavior in the workplace – along with required employee annual training in ethical business practices – reinforce a culture of integrity and ethical behavior. We encourage employees to seek guidance when the ethical or legal thing to do is not clear and to report any concerns in a timely manner.
We believe in open and honest communication at every level of our company. All employees are expected to speak up and report concerns, and leaders are responsible for fostering an environment where doing so is welcomed. Employees can report concerns to their manager, Human Resources, Ethics & Compliance, or Legal. Speak Up at Lilly is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- to both employees and the public worldwide, where local laws allow -- offering online reporting, country-specific phone numbers, and translation services. Reports may be submitted anonymously where local law permits.
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Operate Ethically and Responsibly
Patient safety
Our goal is to ensure safety and effectiveness of our medicines, beginning with the discovery of a potential new medicine and continuing as long as it is available to patients.
Our approach to medical safety is rooted in evidence, science and ethics. We prioritize patient well-being in our decision-making and emphasize transparency.
We want to ensure that our medicines are continuously monitored and that regulators, health care providers, and patients understand the benefits and risks.
Our Global Patient Safety organization is dedicated to the collection, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of safety information, and we communicate new safety findings to patients, health care professionals and regulators.
We’re committed to manufacturing high-quality medicines. We carefully monitor our manufacturing facilities to meet current Good Manufacturing Practices and quality manufacturing standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies around the world.
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