Content about Eli Lilly and Company

SAN ANTONIO — A drug for Type 2 diabetes made by Takeda Pharmaceutical taken in the morning prevented the disease from developing in nearly three-quarters of patients who were at risk, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers enrolled 602 patients through the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and seven other centers and administered Actos (pioglitazone) to them, finding that it prevented Type 2 diabetes in 72% of those whose obesity, ethnicity and other factors put them at risk for the disease.

COPENHAGEN — Novo Nordisk said new data showed that its basal insulin analog is just as effective as human basal insulin in Type 1 diabetes patients ages 2 to 5 years.

INDIANAPOLIS — Drug maker Eli Lilly is warning patients to avoid using alcohol prep pads that come with one of its osteoporosis drugs due to the risk of bacterial infections.

INDIANAPOLIS — Eli Lilly on Thursday announced that it has named Greg Plowman VP oncology research and SVP for ImClone Systems research.

Plowman will oversee the oncology research efforts of both Lilly and ImClone, the drug maker's subsidiary that it acquired in 2008. He will report to Jan Lundberg, EVP science and technology and Lilly Research Labs president, as well as Bernhard Ehmer, ImClone president.

Prior to accepting the position at Lilly, Plowman served as senior director of research for Genentech for six years. He officially will join the company March 28.

A funny thing happened on the way to the cash register. A coveted diabetic shopper intent on saving money saw promotions that resonated with value. She was hooked.

On this trip, promotions influenced her to expand her basket from just insulin to related care items, foot cream and a sugar-free treat. It was as if the retailer and suppliers completely understood her daily regimen, lifestyle, shopping behaviors, willingness to spend and purchase triggers. Indeed, they did.

How? They mastered the process of promotion optimization.

NEW YORK — It shouldn’t surprise people too much, but pills to treat male impotence tend to see big increases in prescriptions around Valentine’s Day, according to published reports.

Bloomberg reported that prescriptions of such drugs as Pfizer’s Viagra (sildenafil) and Eli Lilly’s Cialis (tadalafil) are at their highest in the days leading up to the holiday.

LONDON — Public policies to support medical innovation will help drug companies address diseases that devastate people’s lives, a drug company executive said at a summit Thursday.

Speaking at The Economist magazine’s 2011 Pharma Summit, Eli Lilly chairman, president and CEO John Lechleiter called for a new approach to research in such illnesses as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer. This included changing the way companies conduct research and public policies that promote an environment in which innovation can flourish.

NEW YORK — The pharmacy school of Long Island University is turning 125.

The university said Tuesday that the Arnold & Marie Schwarz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences would celebrate its 125th anniversary with a series of events to showcase its history. A $12.5 million capital campaign focused on construction and renovation, scholarships and expansion of research and graduate education will coincide with the anniversary celebrations.

INDIANAPOLIS — John Johnson is bidding Eli Lilly adieu.

Johnson, who served as SVP and president of the drug maker's oncology business — whose portfolio includes Alimta (pemetrexed) and Gemzar (gemcitabine hydrochloride) — resigned, effective Jan. 28. Johnson is taking on the chief executive role at specialty biopharmaceutical company Savient, effective Jan. 31. Savient is best known for its chronic gout treatment Krystexxa (pegloticase), which received regulatory approval in September 2010.

OSAKA, Japan — Japanese drug maker Takeda Pharmaceutical  has signed an agreement with Durham, N.C.-based Zinfandel Pharmaceuticals to develop a test for assessing Alzheimer’s disease risk in adults, the two companies said.

NEW YORK — This past year saw a lower-than-usual number of new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, due in part to delays at the agency, according to published reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported that 21 new drugs were approved through the year, compared with 25 in 2009 and 24 in 2008. The lag came in part due to stricter safety regulations, the newspaper reported.

PRINCETON, N.J. — A biopharmaceutical company exclusively will develop and commercialize oral formulations of a drug maker's insulins.

Emisphere will be paid $57.5 million in potential product development and sales milestone payments by Novo Nordisk — of which $5 million dollars will be payable upon signing — as well as royalties on sales. Further financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.