Eli Lilly 2005 Annual Report Download - page 89

PROX Y S TATEM ENT
8787
However, the recent disclosure of atrocities recorded at Covance, Inc. has made the need for a formalized,
publicly available animal welfare policy that extends to all outside contractors all the more relevant, indeed urgent.
Filmed footage showed primates being subjected to such gross physical abuses and psychological torments that
Covance sued to stop PETA Europe from publicizing it. The Honorable Judge Peter Langan, in the United Kingdom,
who denied Covance’s petition, stated in his decision that the video was “highly disturbing” and that just two aspects
of it, namely the “rough manner in which animals are handled and the bleakness of the surroundings in which they
are kept … even to a viewer with no particular interest in animal welfare, at least cry out for explanation.”2
Shareholders cannot monitor what goes on behind the closed doors of animal testing laboratories, so the
Company must. Accordingly, we urge the Board to commit to ensuring that basic animal welfare measures are an
integral part of our Company’s corporate stewardship.
We urge shareholders to support this Resolution.
Statement in Opposition to Animal Care and Use Proposal
Lilly’s public policy and compliance committee of the board has reviewed this proposal and believes that the addi-
tional reporting is an unnecessary use of the company’s resources. The use of animals in clinical research is criti-
cal to advance drug discovery without endangering human life and to verify product safety prior to administering
investigational drugs and biologics to human beings. We are committed to treating animals with appropriate care,
and this commitment also extends to the third parties we work with.
Regulation and bioethics require us to carefully and thoroughly evaluate our products using the best scientific
technologies available. Meeting this commitment requires the use of animals. We recognize that, in doing so, we
have an ethical, scientific, and legal obligation to ensure the appropriate treatment of animals used in research, to
minimize the number of animals involved, and to pursue the development of alternative test systems.
Where animals must be used, measures are taken to assure that discomfort and distress are minimized; living
conditions of animals are appropriate for their species and contribute to their health and comfort; and all animals
at the company are cared for under the close supervision of veterinarians and trained animal caretakers. The
company’s animal use care policies and guidelines are published on our website (www.lilly.com/about/policies).
Lilly complies with local, state, and federal laws, regulations and guidelines on the use of animals in clinical
research, which are enforced through unannounced site inspections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or local
authorities. Other institutions engaged in animal research are subject to the same requirements, which include
preparing and submitting formal reports to the U.S. Government detailing the type of research conducted and the
use of animals in that research.
All institutions engaged in animal research must have an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (in-
cluding an independent, third-party member), which approves and oversees animal research activities and care
programs.
We select and maintain relationships with suppliers based on the merit and value of their products and ser-
vices. When contracting with third parties to do research involving animal studies, we seek to do business with
companies that share our commitment to best practices in animal welfare. We expect our suppliers to operate in
full compliance with applicable laws and consistently with high standards of social, environmental, and economic
performance.
Item 4. Shareholder Proposal Regarding Separating the Roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan 49221-1793, beneficial owners of
approximately 700 shares, have notified the company that they intend to present the following proposal at the
annual meeting.
The board recommends that you vote AGAINST this proposal.
1 http://www.lilly.com/about/policies/#animal
2 The case captioned Covance Laboratories Limited v. PETA Europe Limited was filed in the High Court of Justice,
Chancery Division, Leeds District Registry, Claim No. 5C-00295. In addition to ruling in PETA’s favor, the Court
ordered Covance to pay PETA £50,000 in costs and fees.