Eli Lilly Co

Carlsbad, Calif.-based Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday that Eli Lilly & Co. agreed to lend it $21 million to complete a manufacturing facility for an experimental lung cancer drug. The deal expands a year-old collaboration between the firms. Isis licensed the drug, Affinitac, to Lilly in August 2001 in exchange for royalties on sales of the medication and as much as $200 million in equity, fees and milestone payments.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego biotechnology company focused on diabetes, said Friday that Eli Lilly & Co. would pay up to $325 million to co-market one of its leading drug candidates. The deal is vindication for Amylin, which came within weeks of having to close its doors in 1998 after Johnson & Johnson backed out of a partnership deal.

Eli Lilly & Co. said it won European Union approval for Xigris, the first drug designed for a sometimes fatal overreaction to infection known as sepsis. Lilly won U.S. approval of Xigris last year. First-half Xigris sales were $44.6 million. In April, the Indianapolis-based company cut its 2002 and 2003 profit forecasts, in part because of disappointing sales of Xigris. Lilly wouldn't reveal its European sales estimates for Xigris, a company spokeswoman said. Lilly shares rose 8 cents to $59.

Eli Lilly & Co. said regulators may require a new trial for its experimental treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a drug Wall Street has been counting on to win approval and become a big seller. A Lilly spokesman said the Food and Drug Administration has deemed the drug, called Strattera, "approvable." But he said final approval was contingent on the firm providing the FDA additional clinical trial data or analyses that might require a new trial.

Internal documents show two drug companies knew a pharmacist was diluting cancer drugs as long as three years before his arrest, according to a motion filed by patients' attorneys. The motion said neither Eli Lilly & Co. nor Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. contacted the government about its discovery about Robert Courtney. The former Kansas City, Mo., pharmacist pleaded guilty in February to 20 federal criminal charges of tampering with, adulterating and misbranding chemotherapy medications.

Investors were greeted Thursday by another unwelcome reminder of what a difference a year has made in certain segments of the health-care industry, as three companies--Eli Lilly & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Baxter International Inc.--reported a wide range of ongoing problems.

A yet-to-be-approved impotence drug developed by Eli Lilly & Co. and Icos Corp. appears to be longer-lasting than Viagra, the companies said, citing a study released at a medical conference Monday. Patients in the study reported success in achieving erections over 24 to 36 hours after taking a 20-milligram pill of Cialis, said Indianapolis-based Lilly and Bothell, Wash.-based Icos on Saturday. The study did not compare Cialis' effects directly with those of Viagra, the $1.

A yet-to-be-approved impotence drug developed by Eli Lilly & Co. and Icos Corp. appears to be longer-lasting than Viagra, the companies said, citing a study to be released at a medical conference today. Patients in the study reported success in achieving erections from 24 hours to as long as 36 hours after taking a 20-milligram pill of Cialis (pronounced see-ALL-iss), Lilly and Icos said. The study did not compare Cialis' effects directly with those of Viagra, the $1.

Eli Lilly & Co. settled charges it violated the privacy of 669 people who took its anti-depression drug Prozac by disclosing the e-mail address of each patient to the others. The Federal Trade Commission said the drug maker agreed to implement procedures to ensure it would not repeat the inadvertent disclosure in June of the e-mail addresses of the Prozac users. The company may be subject to $11,000 in daily fines if it violates the agreement. Lilly shares dropped 84 cents to close at $74.

Here are the eight Eli Lilly & Co. drugs the company hopes to launch by the end of 2004, pending regulatory approval, with expected launch dates: * Forteo: A bone-building agent to reverse osteoporosis, 2002. * Cialis: Developed with Bothell, Wash.-based Icos Corp. to treat male erectile dysfunction, 2002. * Atomexetine: A non-stimulant to treat attention deficit disorder in children, late 2002. * Duloxetine: For depression, late 2002.