Position Statements
Below you will find Lilly’s views on certain issues that we are often asked about by customers, policymakers, employees and other stakeholders.
Please visit our Public Policy page for positions related to the U.S. healthcare system, innovation, drug pricing and more.
Lilly strives to maintain the highest standards of bioethical behavior. We believe we have a responsibility to protect the rights and welfare of our patients and research participants, to treat animals ethically, and to preserve the integrity of the scientific process in the design, conduct and communication of our research.
Strong policies and principles support our goal to ensure that research conducted by our employees or by third parties aligns with our values and complies with relevant local, national and transnational laws and regulations.
To support better health outcomes, Lilly is committed to working with experts to develop tools and solutions to continually improve research and communications so that patients and providers understand and have the health information they need to act.
More information:
Lilly’s Bioethics Program
ESG Report | Business Ethics
Strong policies and principles support our goal to ensure that research conducted by our employees or by third parties aligns with our values and complies with relevant local, national and transnational laws and regulations.
To support better health outcomes, Lilly is committed to working with experts to develop tools and solutions to continually improve research and communications so that patients and providers understand and have the health information they need to act.
More information:
Lilly’s Bioethics Program
ESG Report | Business Ethics
At Lilly, we believe in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to fulfill our purpose of creating medicines that make life better for people around the world. At our core, we believe that by leveraging the varied backgrounds of our more than 35,000 employees – and by driving actionable and measurable strategies to improve DEI, including diversity within our clinical trials – we can better deliver scientific breakthroughs.
We take a data-driven approach to DEI so that our business and employee base better reflect the world around us. We recognize that the wide array of races, ethnicities, abilities, ages, religions, sexual orientations, genders and political views in our communities serve as a catalyst for innovation and creativity that contribute to the health and prosperity of society.
Lilly’s values of integrity, excellence and respect for people foster an environment where employees are encouraged to speak up, share ideas and be fully engaged, while bringing their authentic selves to work every day. We strive to create a culture where each person feels welcomed, respected, valued and heard. Our strategic DEI priorities are designed to empower our organization with inclusion capabilities, embed equity in our processes and elevate our business outcomes. We believe that with an inclusive culture, Lilly can innovate, accelerate and deliver life-changing medicines that make a difference.
Lilly is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
More information:
Empowering a Diverse Workforce
Racial Justice Initiative
Diversity and Inclusion Progress Report
ESG Report | Diversity and Inclusion
We take a data-driven approach to DEI so that our business and employee base better reflect the world around us. We recognize that the wide array of races, ethnicities, abilities, ages, religions, sexual orientations, genders and political views in our communities serve as a catalyst for innovation and creativity that contribute to the health and prosperity of society.
Lilly’s values of integrity, excellence and respect for people foster an environment where employees are encouraged to speak up, share ideas and be fully engaged, while bringing their authentic selves to work every day. We strive to create a culture where each person feels welcomed, respected, valued and heard. Our strategic DEI priorities are designed to empower our organization with inclusion capabilities, embed equity in our processes and elevate our business outcomes. We believe that with an inclusive culture, Lilly can innovate, accelerate and deliver life-changing medicines that make a difference.
Lilly is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
More information:
Empowering a Diverse Workforce
Racial Justice Initiative
Diversity and Inclusion Progress Report
ESG Report | Diversity and Inclusion
Lilly’s purpose, to make life better, includes protecting and preserving the world we live in. Making medicines requires the use of valuable resources including energy, water and raw materials. We are working to reduce our environmental impact across the life cycles of our products and supply chain, including by establishing 2030 improvement goals for climate, waste and water. To track progress, Lilly measures and manages energy and water use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the generation of waste and wastewater throughout the manufacturing process.
More information:
ESG Report | Our Environmental Approach
More information:
ESG Report | Our Environmental Approach
Lilly is deeply committed to equitable and affordable access to our medicines so that our breakthroughs can transform more people’s lives. We are also committed to expanding our impact on society by addressing complex global health challenges, with a focus on people living in communities with limited resources both in Indianapolis and around the world.
Working with a broad array of health care stakeholders, we seek ways to broadly deliver medicines to patients at reasonable out-of-pocket costs with pricing information they can understand.
Lilly recognizes that research outcomes inform the treatment decisions that physicians and other health care providers make for individual patients and contribute to public health initiatives that improve health equity and create better health outcomes. To ensure communities of color have fair access to and representation in our research, we strive for diversity among clinical trial participants, trial sites and investigators. Our robust clinical trial strategy prioritizes partnerships and collaboration to reach diverse populations.
More information:
Increase Access to Medicines
Diversity in Clinical Research
Lilly Diabetes Solution Center
Reimagining Equitable Cancer Care Is Achievable
Working with a broad array of health care stakeholders, we seek ways to broadly deliver medicines to patients at reasonable out-of-pocket costs with pricing information they can understand.
Lilly recognizes that research outcomes inform the treatment decisions that physicians and other health care providers make for individual patients and contribute to public health initiatives that improve health equity and create better health outcomes. To ensure communities of color have fair access to and representation in our research, we strive for diversity among clinical trial participants, trial sites and investigators. Our robust clinical trial strategy prioritizes partnerships and collaboration to reach diverse populations.
More information:
Increase Access to Medicines
Diversity in Clinical Research
Lilly Diabetes Solution Center
Reimagining Equitable Cancer Care Is Achievable
Lilly supports the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles on respecting internationally proclaimed human rights. One of our long-established core values – respect for people – guides us to maintain and uphold an environment built on mutual respect, openness and individual integrity. This includes our concern for all people who touch or are touched by our company – patients, customers, employees, shareholders, partners, suppliers and communities. Our purpose is to unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. While this encapsulates discovering innovative medicines, it also guides our commitment to ensure employees, partners and suppliers uphold our values and respect human rights as we work together to improve lives.
More information:
ESG Report | Human Rights
More information:
ESG Report | Human Rights
Lilly strongly supports the rights of immigrants, including a pathway to citizenship in the United States. We proudly employ Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients at Lilly and continually advocate for sensible immigration reforms that cultivate and support a diverse and skilled workforce. When we harness a variety of perspectives from around the world, it powers U.S. competitiveness and our company’s ability to innovate, accelerate and deliver life-changing medicines that make a difference for people around the world.
Lilly is committed to upholding high standards of corporate conduct in our business dealings. To earn and maintain the trust of patients and stakeholders, Lilly believes it is essential to demonstrate ethical behavior, industry compliance and personal integrity.
We set high standards for our products, operations and performance and we are always seeking opportunities to enhance these areas.
Lilly’s robust code of conduct, policies and procedures governing behavior in the workplace – along with required employee annual training in ethical business practices – reinforce a culture of integrity and ethical behavior. We encourage employees to seek guidance when the ethical or legal thing to do is not clear and to report any concerns in a timely manner.
Employees can report concerns to leadership, as well as human resources, ethics and compliance, or legal. The Lilly Ethics and Compliance Hotline is available 24 hours a day to employees and the public globally, subject to local law, via phone at 1-800-815-2481, online or via email at speakup@lilly.com. The hotline website also lists up-to-date local phone numbers for most countries, where available. Translation services are available, and reports may be made anonymously.
More information:
Operate Ethically and Responsibly
ESG Report | Business Ethics
About Lilly
We set high standards for our products, operations and performance and we are always seeking opportunities to enhance these areas.
Lilly’s robust code of conduct, policies and procedures governing behavior in the workplace – along with required employee annual training in ethical business practices – reinforce a culture of integrity and ethical behavior. We encourage employees to seek guidance when the ethical or legal thing to do is not clear and to report any concerns in a timely manner.
Employees can report concerns to leadership, as well as human resources, ethics and compliance, or legal. The Lilly Ethics and Compliance Hotline is available 24 hours a day to employees and the public globally, subject to local law, via phone at 1-800-815-2481, online or via email at speakup@lilly.com. The hotline website also lists up-to-date local phone numbers for most countries, where available. Translation services are available, and reports may be made anonymously.
More information:
Operate Ethically and Responsibly
ESG Report | Business Ethics
About Lilly
From early discovery through drug development, as well as while a drug is on the market, Lilly works to ensure the safety and effectiveness of our medicines. Our approach to medical safety is rooted in evidence, science and ethics and puts patient well-being first and foremost in our decision-making, with an emphasis on transparency.
Beginning with the discovery of a potential new medicine, and for as long as it is available to patients, our goal is to ensure that the benefits and risks of a medication are continuously monitored and well-understood by regulators, health care providers and patients.
Our Global Patient Safety organization is dedicated to the collection, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of safety information and we communicate new safety findings to patients, health care professionals, and regulators.
Lilly is also committed to manufacturing high-quality medicines. We carefully monitor our manufacturing facilities in order to meet Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and quality manufacturing standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies around the world.
More information:
Safety Matters at Lilly
Our Commitment to Patient Safety
Benefit-Risk Balance
Beginning with the discovery of a potential new medicine, and for as long as it is available to patients, our goal is to ensure that the benefits and risks of a medication are continuously monitored and well-understood by regulators, health care providers and patients.
Our Global Patient Safety organization is dedicated to the collection, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of safety information and we communicate new safety findings to patients, health care professionals, and regulators.
Lilly is also committed to manufacturing high-quality medicines. We carefully monitor our manufacturing facilities in order to meet Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and quality manufacturing standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies around the world.
More information:
Safety Matters at Lilly
Our Commitment to Patient Safety
Benefit-Risk Balance