Eli Lilly's Quest to Cure Cancer

     Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) is a business that dates back to 1876.  Its founder, Colonel Eli Lilly, went into the pharmaceutical industry after his wife died of malaria, which had not been dealt with well here in the United States.  Having read three books about the company and its leadership, I believe that the driving goal of Colonel Lilly, in opening the business that he did, was to try to combat malaria so that other Americans would not suffer his loss.  In fact, one of Eli Lilly's first medicines produced was quinine which was used to treat malaria.

Considering that both Colonel Eli Lilly, and his son who ran the company for decades, died from cancer, Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) has been embarking on a massive quest to find treatments, and eventually a cure.  According to the lilly.com website:

As one of the top 10 oncology companies in the world, Lilly Oncology focuses on speeding innovation and improving outcomes for individual patients, and boasts one of the largest clinical pipelines in the oncology industry.

I counted 24 molecules being tested against cancer in either phase I or phase II of that pipeline, with 2 more nearly available to purchase.  Perhaps, one day the company will know that had the Lillys still been alive, the financial fruit of their efforts could have saved their own lives, as they will save so many more when curative drugs are placed on the market.

Paul Wharton
Objectivist Capitalist Medicine Promoter

Special thanks to Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) for being the fuel of my mind