Company Description
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global medicine company in the pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing industry. According to company disclosures, Lilly focuses on turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world, with medicines that help tens of millions of people. The company highlights expertise in biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine to address major health challenges across diabetes care, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, immune system disorders and difficult‑to‑treat cancers.
Lilly’s business is built around discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing prescription medicines. Available information shows that the company has established franchises in cardiometabolic diseases, immunology, oncology and neuroscience. A Polygon description notes that Lilly focuses on neuroscience, cardiometabolic, cancer and immunology, with key products that include Verzenio for cancer; Mounjaro, Zepbound, Jardiance, Trulicity, Humalog and Humulin for cardiometabolic conditions; and Taltz and Olumiant for immunology.
Therapeutic focus and key products
Recent company communications describe several branded medicines and late‑stage or approved assets:
- Cardiometabolic and obesity: Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide) are highlighted as dual GIP and GLP‑1 receptor agonist medicines for type 2 diabetes and obesity management. Lilly reports that Zepbound is indicated, with diet and physical activity, to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight‑related condition, and to treat adults with moderate‑to‑severe obstructive sleep apnea and obesity. Orforglipron is described as an investigational once‑daily oral GLP‑1 receptor agonist for obesity and type 2 diabetes, and retatrutide as an investigational once‑weekly triple agonist (GIP, GLP‑1 and glucagon receptors) being studied in obesity, type 2 diabetes and related complications such as knee osteoarthritis.
- Immunology and inflammatory‑mediated diseases: Taltz (ixekizumab), a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin‑17A, is approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, non‑radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, and for adults and children 6 years and older with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Lilly has also announced a definitive agreement to acquire Ventyx Biosciences, which is developing oral small‑molecule NLRP3 inhibitors and other programs for inflammatory‑mediated diseases, including cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative disorders.
- Oncology: Verzenio (abemaciclib) is an oral CDK4/6 inhibitor approved in multiple hormone receptor‑positive, HER2‑negative breast cancer settings, including adjuvant and metastatic disease. Inluriyo (imlunestrant) is described as an oral estrogen receptor antagonist approved in the U.S. for adults with ER‑positive, HER2‑negative, ESR1‑mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression after at least one line of endocrine therapy. Updated EMBER‑3 trial data show imlunestrant activity as monotherapy and in combination with abemaciclib. Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) is a highly selective, non‑covalent BTK inhibitor approved in the U.S. for adults with relapsed or refractory CLL/SLL previously treated with a covalent BTK inhibitor and for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma after at least two lines of systemic therapy including a BTK inhibitor.
- Genetic medicine and radiopharmaceuticals: Lilly has completed a tender offer to acquire Adverum Biotechnologies, a company developing gene therapies for ocular diseases, and is collaborating with Aktis Oncology, a clinical‑stage company advancing alpha‑emitting radiopharmaceuticals for solid tumors, through a strategic collaboration that Aktis describes as valued at up to $1.2 billion.
Research, development and clinical programs
Lilly emphasizes that its scientists are “urgently advancing new discoveries” to address significant health challenges. Recent news highlights extensive late‑stage clinical programs:
- The TOGETHER‑PsA Phase 3b trial evaluated concomitant use of Taltz and Zepbound in adults with active psoriatic arthritis and obesity or overweight with at least one weight‑related condition. Lilly reports that the combination met the primary endpoint at 36 weeks, with a higher proportion of patients achieving both a 50% improvement in psoriatic arthritis activity (ACR50) and at least 10% weight reduction compared to Taltz alone, and that all key secondary endpoints favored the combination.
- The ATTAIN‑MAINTAIN Phase 3 trial examined orforglipron for weight maintenance after prior weight loss on injectable incretin therapies (Wegovy or Zepbound). Lilly states that orforglipron met the primary and all key secondary endpoints for weight maintenance over 52 weeks compared with placebo.
- The TRIUMPH‑4 Phase 3 trial of retatrutide in adults with obesity or overweight and knee osteoarthritis met co‑primary endpoints, with Lilly reporting substantial average percentage weight loss and reductions in WOMAC pain scores, along with improvements in physical function.
- The EMBER‑3 Phase 3 study of imlunestrant in ER‑positive, HER2‑negative advanced breast cancer showed improved progression‑free survival versus standard endocrine therapy in ESR1‑mutated disease and benefit when combined with abemaciclib, with a delay in time to chemotherapy.
- The BRUIN CLL‑313 Phase 3 trial demonstrated that pirtobrutinib significantly reduced the risk of progression or death versus bendamustine plus rituximab in treatment‑naïve CLL/SLL without 17p deletions, with Lilly noting an 80% risk reduction in progression‑free survival and a safety profile consistent with prior experience.
Manufacturing and infrastructure
Lilly’s manufacturing footprint includes multiple U.S. sites. A recent announcement describes plans to invest more than $6 billion in a new active pharmaceutical ingredient facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The company states that this site will focus on domestic production of small‑molecule synthetic and peptide medicines and will be among the facilities that manufacture orforglipron. Lilly indicates that the Huntsville location was chosen in part for its proximity to an established bioscience campus and access to utilities and transportation, and that the facility is expected to use machine learning, AI, digitally integrated monitoring systems and advanced data analytics to support operations.
Capital markets and governance
Lilly’s common stock (no par value) trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LLY. The company also has multiple series of notes registered on the NYSE, including notes due between 2026 and 2061, as reflected in recent Form 8‑K filings. In an August 2025 8‑K, Lilly reported entering into an underwriting agreement for the issuance of floating‑rate notes due 2028 and several series of fixed‑rate notes due between 2028 and 2065, with aggregate principal amounts described in that filing.
Corporate governance disclosures show that Lilly is incorporated in Indiana and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. A November 2025 Form 8‑K reports that the board of directors elected Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Ph.D., as a new member of the board, with service on the Science and Technology Committee and the Ethics and Compliance Committee, and that the board determined she is independent under New York Stock Exchange standards and the company’s guidelines.
Strategic transactions and collaborations
Available news indicates that Lilly uses acquisitions, collaborations and investments to expand its pipeline and technology base:
- A definitive agreement to acquire Ventyx Biosciences, a clinical‑stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oral therapies for inflammation‑mediated diseases, with a portfolio that includes NLRP3 inhibitors and other small molecules targeting immune pathways relevant to cardiometabolic, neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders.
- Completion of a tender offer and planned acquisition of Adverum Biotechnologies, a clinical‑stage company developing gene therapies for ocular diseases, including a candidate for neovascular or wet age‑related macular degeneration.
- An anchor investment and strategic collaboration with Aktis Oncology, a clinical‑stage biotechnology company developing alpha‑emitting radiopharmaceuticals for solid tumors, with Aktis describing the total deal value as up to $1.2 billion.
Company mission and areas of impact
In multiple press releases, Lilly describes itself as a company that has been “pioneering life‑changing discoveries for nearly 150 years” and emphasizes a mission of making life better for people around the world. The company highlights work in:
- Redefining diabetes care.
- Treating obesity and reducing its long‑term effects.
- Advancing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
- Providing solutions for debilitating immune system disorders.
- Transforming difficult‑to‑treat cancers into more manageable diseases.
Lilly also notes a focus on clinical trials that reflect population diversity and on efforts to support accessibility and affordability of its medicines, as described in its public communications.
Regulatory and investor information
Recent Form 8‑K filings show that Lilly regularly furnishes quarterly financial results via press releases attached as exhibits, and that its securities are registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company participates in major investor conferences, such as the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, where it provides webcasts and presentations through its investor relations channels.