News Release

When Civil War veteran Col. Eli Lilly founded his tiny company on Pearl Street in Indianapolis in 1876, his mission was to discover and sell scientifically sound formulas that would help alleviate human suffering. While the ranks of employees have swelled from the original three to more than 36,000 worldwide, the core values that help make the company grow and prosper over the past century continue to guide it today.

On May 10, 2001, Eli Lilly and Company celebrates 125 years of innovation that has helped us not only fulfill Col. Lilly's original vision, but to actually change the world for the better. Breakthroughs such as mass production of the first polio vaccine, and the development of a medicine that fights depression so effectively that it has changed the way the world views mental illness, stand as signature achievements.

As Lilly moves into the next 125 years, the company continues to embrace new opportunities in drug discovery even as it remains true to the long-established core values that guide Lilly employees in all that we do:

• Respect for people that includes concern for the interests of all people worldwide who touch - or are touched by - the company: customers, employees, shareholders, partners, and communities
• Integrity that embraces the very highest standards of honesty, ethical behavior, and exemplary moral character
• Excellence that is reflected in our continuous search for new ways to improve business performance to become the best.

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of best-in-class 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.