Lilly

Founded by Eli Lilly in 1876, and now the 10th largest pharmaceutical company in the world, the company has been reinventing and intensively restructuring itself in the last few years.

The company's reforming zeal has been spurred on by the impending patent expiry of its flagship brand, Zyprexa.

The drug is currently the world's top-selling antipsychotic ($4.7 billion worldwide sales in 2008) but US generic competition will arrive in 2011, by which time Lilly hopes to be braced for the loss its revenue.

In 2009, the approval in the US and Europe of the anti-clotting drug Effient (co-marketed with Daiichi-Sankyo) was a major milestone for the company.

The FDA approved the drug for the reduction of thrombotic cardiovascular events (including stent thrombosis) in patients with acute coronary syndromes who are managed with an artery-opening procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PCI usually includes the placement of a stent to help keep the artery open.

2009 has seen the company cut costs and restructure, but is also on the look for strategic acquisitions.

Lilly bought ImClone in 2008 for $6.5 billion, and the company says the acquisition will make it one of the world's leaders in cancer treatment, an increasingly important field in the pharma industry.

Facts & Figures

Headquarters located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Chief executive: John Lechleiter
Approximately 40,788 employees worldwide
Approximately 7,474 employees engaged in research and development

Clinical research conducted in more than 50 countries

Research and development facilities located in 8 countries