There’s a $2 billion hole in Eli Lilly and Co.’s future. That’s roughly how much pretax profit Lilly derives each year from
its best-seller, Zyprexa, according to calculations by IBJ. And it’s how much black ink will start running off Lilly’s books
once Zyprexa’s U.S. and European patents expire in 2011.
When the Department of Justice slapped St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital with a $1.2 million fine last month, it stunned local
medical professionals. But the issue behind St. Vincent’s troubles is no surprise. The diversion of prescriptions drugs from
the medical field into recreational use is a widespread problem in Indiana and the nation.
Pfizer Inc.’s new inhaled insulin product, Exubera, has stumbled out of the gate. That would appear to keep the door open
for Eli Lilly and Co., as well as for other companies racing to develop inhaled insulin. But Pfizer’s troubles might cause
doctors and patients to sour on all inhaled insulin products.
Eli Lilly and Co.’s loss in May of a patent-infringement lawsuit brought by Ariad Pharmaceuticals
Inc. went down as the 6th-largest such jury award last year, a Bloomberg analysis shows.
Eli Lilly and Co. is facing another round of litigation over its star seller, Zyprexa, as insurers and third-party payers
ask to be reimbursed for covering the antipsychotic drug.
