Six generations of caring and discovery
1906
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.
1917
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.
1923
Lilly introduced lletin® (animal-source insulin, Lilly), the world's first commercially available insulin product, for the treatment of diabetes - then a fatal disease with no effective treatment options.
1928
Lilly introduced a liver-extract product to treat pernicious anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder, that served as a standard of therapy for decades; the company's academic collaborators later won a Nobel Prize for the discovery.
1937
Lilly family members established the Lilly Endowment to pursue personal philanthropic efforts.
1940s
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.
1955
Lilly was the first company to manufacture and distribute the Salk Polio Vaccine globally.
1957
Lilly leaders were named co-chair and honorary chair of the first Indianapolis United Fund (UF) drive, an effort unifying funds of important charitable institutions to maximise impact; the UF would be a driving force behind Lilly volunteer hours and donations for decades to come.
1958
Lilly introduced Vancocin® (vancomycin hydrochloride, Lilly), an antibiotic for infections associated with certain types of drug-resistant bacteria.
1961
Velban® (vinblastine, Lilly), the company's first oncology drug derived from an alkaloid of the Madagascar Periwinkle plant, was introduced for treatment of several types of cancer.
1982
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.
1986
Lilly introduced Prozac® (fluoxetine hydrochloride, Lilly) in Belgium as a treatment of clinical depression.
1996
Lilly introduced an innovative medicine for the treatment of schizophrenia, alongside a new drug for pancreatic and non-small-cell lung cancer.
2001
Lilly started the Lilly Camp Care Package program, donating more than US$25 million in insulin and supplies to diabetes camps, supported by scholarships and educational resources.
2003
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.
2004
Lilly introduced a new treatment for major depressive disorder.
2008
Lilly's Global Day of Service program was launched, helping friends and neighbors in communities around the world.
2011
Lilly launched Connecting Hearts Abroad, an employee volunteer program that sends dozens of employees annually to countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
2011
The Lilly NCD Partnership was created to fight the rising burden of non-communicable diseases; the first five years have focused on diabetes best practices.
2015
Lilly donated US$13.2 million to United Way, continuing the commitment to philanthropy begun by Colonel Lilly in
the 1800s.
the 1800s.
2018
The Lilly Diabetes Solution Center opened to assist people who need help paying for their Lilly insulin in the U.S.
2019
Lilly makes its largest acquisition to date, purchasing Loxo Oncology to broaden treatment options for patients with cancer through first-in-class and best-in-class medicines.
2019
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.
2020
Beginning in February 2020, Lilly helped fight COVID-19 by providing testing, donating PPE supplies and developing treatments, including the first antibody.
2020
Lilly launched the Lilly Insulin Value Program, providing a copay card to help with the cost for certain medicines, regardless of insurance status in the U.S.
2022
Providing patients with a new treatment option, Lilly launched its next-generation medicine in the U.S. for the treatment of diabetes.
2023
In the U.S., Lilly expanded its Insulin Value Program to help improve access and make its insulins and other diabetes medicines more affordable for patients.
2023
Expanding its focus into a new therapeutic area, Lilly received approval for a treatment for chronic weight management.
2024
In a remarkable year of progress for patients, Lilly introduced its first medicine for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
2024
To ensure patients can benefit from Lilly’s pioneering treatments, the company launched LillyDirect® to reimagine the consumer healthcare experience.
2024
Lilly received approval for the first and only prescription medicine to treat adults living with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea and obesity.
2024
Working to unlock new hope for people living with chronic or currently untreatable illnesses, Lilly opened the Seaport Innovation Center for genetic medicine research.
2025
To help reach more patients with our medicines, Lilly announced additional investments in new manufacturing facilities, bringing the company’s total commitment to US$50 billion since 2020.