Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical corporation founded on May 10, 1876, by Colonel Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The company employs roughly 47,000 people globally and sells its products in approximately 125 countries.
Lilly remains headquartered in Indianapolis and trades publicly on the NYSE under ticker LLY.
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
Founder, President (1876–1898)
Eli Lilly History
1876
Colonel Eli Lilly opens a pharmaceutical lab on Pearl Street in Indianapolis with three employees.
1923
Lilly becomes the first U.S. company to sell insulin commercially under the brand name 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 one of the era's largest public-health efforts.
2025
Reaches $1 trillion market cap, the first healthcare company in history to hit that mark.
FAQs
Who owns Eli Lilly?
Eli Lilly is a publicly traded company on the NYSE under ticker LLY. Shares are held by institutional investors, mutual funds, and individual shareholders. The Lilly Endowment, a separate charitable foundation, also holds a stake.
When did Eli Lilly come out?
Eli Lilly and Company was established on May 10, 1876, when Colonel Eli Lilly opened a pharmaceutical manufacturing operation in a small brick building on Pearl Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Who made the Eli Lilly logo?
The logo is based on the personal handwritten signature of founder Colonel Eli Lilly. He signed early product labels by hand, and the company later adopted a refined version of his cursive script as its permanent wordmark.
Is Eli Lilly an American company?
Yes. Eli Lilly was founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1876 and remains headquartered there. It operates offices in 18 countries and sells products in approximately 125 markets worldwide.