Lechleiter to be new Lilly chief

pharmafile | January 3, 2008 | News story | Sales and Marketing lilly 

 

John Lechleiter, Lilly's current president and chief operating officer has been named as the company's next chief executive.

Sidney Taurel is the current head of the pharma company, and is to step down in April after ten years leading the company.

Lechleiter has been the chief executive in-waiting for some time, having joined the company nearly 30 years ago as a senior organic chemist.

Spending time in senior research posts in the UK and Europe during the 1980s –  including overseeing the development of schizophrenia blockbuster Zyprexa – Leichleiter rose to be chief operating office in 2005.

When Taurel took over in 1998, Prozac was by far the company's biggest seller and accounted for nearly a quarter of its earnings in 2000.  But it suffered a shock early US patent expiry the following year, which devastated the company's revenues.

Schizophrenia treatment Zyprexa eventually helped to fill the gap left by Prozac, but Lilly once again became reliant on revenues from one blockbuster.

Lilly now has a portfolio of newer drugs which are growing fast, including anti-depressant Cymbalta, which should help soften the blow when Zyprexa's US patent is due to expire in 2011.

Related Content

Eli Lilly front sign

Lilly’s COVID-19 drug has EUA revoked in favour of combination therapy

The FDA have revoked Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab drug for the …

Eli Lilly building

Lilly’s ulcerative colitis treatment meets all key endpoints in Phase III trial

Eli Lilly’s mirikizumab treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) patients has met the primary endpoints and …

Eli Lilly front sign

University of Glasgow and Lilly sign £4.6m immunological disease partnership

The University of Glasgow and Eli Lilly and Company have entered into a research collaboration, …

Latest content