Eli Lilly & Co., which like many big pharmas faces patent expiries and an uncertain late-stage pipeline, has worked to improve ties with the venture and academic communities to help spur access to early-stage and less expensive assets. The pharma's latest attempt to woo academics is perhaps not as flashy as the methods of competitors such as Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, and GlaxoSmithKline PLC – each of which is putting considerable resources behind gaining access to top-notch academic researchers worldwide. But Lilly plans to make up for that in simplicity and sheer volume. ( See "Back To School: Big Pharmas Test New Models For Tapping Academia," IN VIVO , February 2011 Also see "Back To School: Big Pharmas Test New Models For Tapping Academia " - In Vivo, 1 February, 2011..)
Eli Lilly's Open Source Approach To Early Stage Research
Eli Lilly, which like many big pharmas faces patent expiries and an uncertain late-stage pipeline, has worked to improve ties with the venture and academic communities to help spur access to early-stage and less expensive assets. Since 2009 it has operated a web portal that allows outside researchers to submit compounds for interrogation using Eli Lilly’s drug-discovery assays.