Eli Lilly 2008 Annual Report Download - page 8

6
LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS
the range of opportunities to discover and develop new
medicines.
The fourth plank of our strategy deals with globaliza-
tion, steadily increasing the share of Lilly’s sales derived
in the world’s fastest-growing markets. Going forward, we
aim to expand our presence in China and Russia, along
with Brazil, India, Korea, Mexico, Turkey, and others. Japan
and China, in particular, offer us the possibility of counter-
cyclical growth to offset revenue losses in Years YZ.
And the relationships and market familiarity that we
gain through this sales expansion will further enhance
and support our FIPNet efforts—and vice versa.
The fi fth and fi nal component of Lilly’s strategy is
prudent diversifi cation.
I want to be clear that we do not intend to stray from
our core business of human pharmaceuticals. Within
that rubric, however, it’s in Lilly’s best interests to remain
open to new therapeutic areas as well as new or comple-
mentary technology.
We aim to make the most of our Elanco animal
health business, whose growing sales and expansion into
the companion animal market could not be coming at a
better time. We’ll look to further strengthen our position
in oncology, where Lilly has become a key player very
quickly. And our tailoring efforts mean that we will re-
main alert to business development opportunities arising
from the convergence among pharmaceuticals, medical
devices, and diagnostic medicine.
Earning trust through corporate citizenship
Ultimately, our future depends on the trust of the pa-
tients, physicians, and payers who use, prescribe, and pay
for our products. We have to earn that trust every day. So
no discussion of our future would be complete without ad-
dressing our commitment to strong corporate citizenship.
Transparency: We’ve learned that the best way to build
trust is by letting people see for themselves what we’re
doing. We’ve been leaders in transparency, going back to
the industry’s fi rst voluntary registry of clinical trial data
in 2004. This past September, in another industry fi rst,
we announced plans to voluntarily disclose our payments
to doctors for any speaking and consulting services they
provide, beginning later this year.
Lilly was also actively involved in efforts by the
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
(PhRMA), which resulted in a revised code for company
interactions with health care professionals and strength-
ened PhRMA’s guiding principles for direct-to-consumer
advertising about prescription medicines.
Patient Safety: We’re also working to build consumers’
trust in the safety of the medicines they take. An example:
In October, we introduced a color differentiation system
for insulin products marketed in the U.S. and Europe, in-
cluding vials, pens, and individual packaging for Humalog
and Humulin. These safety measures help patients, physi-
cians, pharmacists, and other health care professionals
accurately identify prescribed insulin and avoid mix-ups.
Philanthropy: Lilly has consistently ranked among the
nation’s most charitable companies. There’s no better
example of our commitment than our program to fi ght
multidrug-resistant tuberculosis—the Lilly MDR-TB
Partnership created in 2003. We’ve also launched efforts
to improve outcomes for people with diabetes. These
include our donation of life-saving insulin for children in
sub-Saharan Africa, through the International Diabetes
Federation’s “Life for a Child” program, and our “FACE
Diabetes” outreach to African-Americans to help them
manage this potentially devastating disease.
Our company and our employees continue to give
back to the communities in which we have a presence.
In 2008, this commitment led us to start the record-setting
Lilly Global Day of Service—and more than 20,000 em-
ployees participated in service projects around the world.
Our next Global Day of Service is set for May 20, 2009,
and we intend to make it an annual event.
I can offer only a cursory look at our efforts here, but
a full accounting is provided in our 2008 Lilly Corporate
Responsibility Report, available online at www.lilly.com.
In closing, I want to thank my predecessor, Sidney
Taurel, for his 37 years of service to our company, as well
as his wisdom and counsel to me before and during our
seamless leadership transition. He leaves behind a very
strong business that is today transforming itself from a
position of strength.
I also want to express my gratitude to my Lilly col-
leagues. My strength and spirits are sustained, time and
again, by their dedication to this great enterprise and to
those whom we serve. A poignant example of that dedica-
tion is featured in this report. I’m proud to be associated
with the team whose photograph graces this letter—and
the Lilly team around the world. In a time of unprec-
edented challenge and transformation, I have never been
more excited about Lilly’s future.
For the Board of Directors,
John C. Lechleiter
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Offi cer