Principles of Medical Research

Eli Lilly and Company has established policies, standards and protections throughout the research and development process to ensure that patients’ needs remain at the forefront. 

Lilly creates and delivers innovative medicines that enable people to live longer, healthier and more active lives. Lilly carefully conducts medical research to generate important information regarding those medicines, and we promote them for the indications for which they have been approved. 

Lilly complies with the highest ethical principles regarding the proper relationship between medical research and marketing and sales, and we do not use our medical research as a means to circumvent laws regarding the promotion of our products. 

Conduct of Research

The following Principles are derived from existing company policies and industry codes, and they define Lilly's standard for conducting, funding and communicating results from our medical research.

• Lilly does not conduct medical research with the intent that the mere conduct of the study itself might induce the sale of a Lilly product.

• Lilly may conduct off-label medical research for the purpose of answering important and relevant scientific questions, but we do not conduct such research to induce the sale of a Lilly product for off-label use.

• The Medical team at Lilly is accountable for the design, approval, conduct and scientific disclosure of medical research sponsored by Lilly.

• For Lilly-sponsored medical research, accountability ultimately resides with the Chief Medical Officer of the company.

• For medical research conducted by external parties, the Medical team at Lilly is accountable for the review and approval of grant support.

Payments to Health Care Providers

Lilly makes payments to health care providers only for legitimate, reasonable and necessary services, and in amounts that are no more than the fair market value for the services performed.

• Lilly appropriately compensates health care providers who perform study procedures and collect relevant data in conducting Lilly-sponsored or -supported medical research.

• Lilly chooses service providers who are qualified and well suited to perform the services. Lilly does not preferentially select service providers who are customers for Lilly products, and we do not condition any service provider's selection upon the purchase of Lilly products.

• Lilly does not make payments to health care providers for the purpose of rewarding past prescribing practices or altering current/future prescribing practices.

• Lilly does not pay health care providers to increase their experience with our products or to learn about our products.

Communication of Research Results

Lilly publicly discloses all medical research results that are significant to patients, health care providers or payers – whether those results are favourable or unfavourable to a Lilly product – in an accurate, objective and balanced manner, so customers can make more informed decisions about our products.

• Lilly complies with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.