Six generations of
caring and discovery
1876
Colonel Eli Lilly founded the company.
1906
Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Lilly supplied pharmaceutical products to the affected area and subsequently established a policy to replace medicines lost in natural disasters at no cost.
1917
During World War I, Lilly contributed funding to the American Red Cross to help establish a volunteer base hospital in France, which was equipped and supplied with essential medical materials.
1923
Lilly introduced the world's first commercially available insulin product, for the treatment of diabetes - then a fatal disease with no effective treatment options.
1928
By 1928, Lilly had collaborated with academic researchers to manufacture and commercialise a liver-extract therapy for pernicious anaemia, a life-threatening blood disorder. The academic scientists involved were later awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning liver therapy in cases of anaemia.
1937
Lilly family members established the Lilly Endowment to pursue personal philanthropic efforts.
1940s
Lilly contributed to developing methods to mass‑produce Penicillin‑G and played an important role in helping to increase the availability of this antibiotic for the treatment of infectious diseases.
1955
Lilly was one of the first companies to manufacture and distribute the Salk Polio Vaccine.
1958
Lilly introduced an antibiotic to help treat certain types of drug resistant bacteria.
1961
Lilly derived oncology drugs from an alkaloid of the Madagascar Periwinkle plant that was used for the management of several types of cancer.
1982
Lilly introduced insulin produced using recombinant DNA technology.
1986
Lilly introduced a treatment for clinical depression.
2003
Lilly launched the Lilly MDR‑TB Partnership to help address the expanding crisis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, particularly in countries where the disease is most prevalent.
2008
Lilly's Annual Global Day of Service program launched, helping friends and neighbours in communities around the world.
2011
Lilly launched Connecting Hearts Abroad, an employee volunteer program that sends dozens of employees 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 initial years have focused on diabetes best practices.
2015
Lilly has long partnered with United Way through campaigns, advocacy and volunteering, raising over $250 million, including $13.2 million in 2015 alone.
2018
The Lilly Diabetes Solution Center opened to assist people who need help paying for their insulin in the U.S.
2019
Lilly made its largest acquisition to date, purchasing Loxo Oncology to broaden treatment options for patients with cancer.
2020
Beginning in February 2020, Lilly helped fight COVID‑19 by developing treatments, including later a monoclonal antibody.
2024
To advance research into chronic and currently untreatable illnesses, Lilly opened the Seaport Innovation Center for genetic medicine research in Boston.
2025
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.