London (ots/PRNewswire) - A new approach to research,
along with public policies that support medical innovation, will help
biopharmaceutical companies address stubborn diseases with
potentially devastating personal and financial consequences, such as
cancer and Alzheimer's disease, according to John Lechleiter, Ph.D.,
chairman, president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company .

Lechleiter made his remarks Thursday in London during a keynote
address at The Economist's 2011 Pharma Summit: Reinventing Pharma for
a New Generation. During his talk, Lechleiter said two imperatives
are needed to secure the future of the research-based pharmaceutical
industry: changing the way companies conduct research, and public
policies that promote an environment in which medical innovation can
flourish.

The burden of several diseases is soaring in many countries,
including the U.K.

According to the Alzheimer's Research Trust, for instance, more
than 800,000 people in the U.K. are directly affected by dementia at
a cost of 23 billion pounds Sterling per year.

And yet, just when the world desperately needs more new medicines
for diseases like Alzheimer's, "our industry is taking too long,
we're spending too much, and we're producing far too little,"
Lechleiter told the audience.

Lechleiter said the case for biopharmaceutical research and new
medications is compelling. Specifically, he noted that:

    -- Innovative medicines have proven themselves time and again to be the
       most effective way to reduce costs and improve quality in health care.
    -- Treatments for diseases that remain unconquered, like cancer and
       Alzheimer's, most likely will come from laboratories of
       biopharmaceutical companies.
    -- Even diseases that are being treated today, like diabetes, require
       better solutions.

Vergrößern

"Ironically, the crisis in our innovation model comes at a time
when we have vastly more scientific knowledge and data than ever
before," Lechleiter said. "But unless we change the way we do
research, we won't translate this knowledge into advances for
patients. In the face of diminishing results, we can't simply perform
the same old rituals and hope for a different outcome."

Specifically, Lechleiter stressed the need for research-based
pharmaceutical companies to be more networked, global, and
entrepreneurial to bring innovative medicines to patients faster and
at lower costs. Such a global network is enabling Lilly to strengthen
its own R&D capabilities, while attracting molecules, funding, and
expertise from partners - creating shared investment, risk, and
reward, along with greater efficiencies.

Lechleiter said the new approach to research will be successful
only if matched with regulations that support an environment of
innovation.

"Even as we rebuild our R&D engine, we must build an environment
where pharmaceutical innovation can thrive," he said. "As pressures
on health care systems around the world continue to grow, we will
continue to make the case that innovation is imperative, and to
advocate for reforms that promote innovation rather than penalize
it."

Currently, government leaders in the U.K. are debating health
care reform options to ease the stress on tightening budgets.
Lechleiter said the new approach to research will be successful only
if matched with regulations that support an environment of
innovation.

Biopharmaceutical research, Lechleiter said, has also preserved
jobs in the U.K. and other developed countries. In the U.K., there
are 72,000 direct jobs in the biopharmaceutical sector and 200,000
indirect jobs. At 12 million pounds each day, the biopharmaceutical
industry invests more in R&D than any other sector in the U.K.

Equally important have been the medical advances: in the U.K.
alone, average life expectancy increased by 30 years from 1901 to
1999.

"Indeed, encouraging medical innovation needs to be a key purpose
of health care reforms in both the United States and the United
Kingdom," Lechleiter said. "We must continually make the case for
innovation through our words, but more importantly, through our
actions and the value we bring to patients through innovative
medicines."

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a
growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest
research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations
with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis,
Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information -
for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. C-LLY

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )

---

---

---

---

---