Eli Lilly is an American pharmaceutical company founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The company sells products in 125 countries and employs about 47,000 people. Revenue reached $65 billion in 2024.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Lilly trades on the NYSE under ticker LLY as a trillion-dollar company.
About Eli Lilly
Sector
Healthcare
Industry
Pharmaceuticals
CEO
David A. Ricks
Website
lilly.com
Headquarters
Indianapolis, IN
Founded
May 10, 1876
Status
Public (NYSE: LLY)
Eli Lilly Founders
Colonel Eli Lilly
Sole Founder, Pharmaceutical Chemist & Civil War Veteran
Eli Lilly History
1876
Colonel Eli Lilly opens a pharmaceutical lab in Indianapolis with three employees.
1923
Becomes the first U.S. company to sell insulin commercially under the brand Iletin.
1944
First company to mass-produce penicillin, supplying Allied forces during World War II.
1955
Helps mass-produce Jonas Salk's polio vaccine in a major public health campaign.
2025
Reaches $1 trillion market cap, the first healthcare company in history to do so.
FAQs
Is Eli Lilly an American company?
Yes. Eli Lilly is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, since its founding in 1876. It operates in 18 countries and sells products in about 125 markets worldwide.
Who owns Eli Lilly?
Eli Lilly is publicly traded on the NYSE under ticker LLY. Shares are held by institutional investors, mutual funds, and individual shareholders. The Lilly Endowment, a separate charitable foundation, is a notable stakeholder.
When did Eli Lilly come out?
Eli Lilly and Company was founded on May 10, 1876, in Indianapolis, Indiana, by Colonel Eli Lilly. It started as a small pharmaceutical lab with just three employees.
Who made Eli Lilly logo?
The logo is based on the handwritten signature of founder Colonel Eli Lilly. The cursive script wordmark has been refined over 150 years, with agency Wieden+Kennedy developing the current brand identity system.
