The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) are pleased to announce that they have resolved a lawsuit pending between them in federal court in Oklahoma City involving Lilly’s life saving drug, Xigris®. The terms of the settlement are confidential but it will enable OMRF and Lilly to continue to collaborate to solve urgent medical needs.
For more than 20 years Lilly and OMRF have conducted research into a cure for sepsis, a life threatening medical condition where the body turns against itself as it tries to fight an overwhelming infection, such as pneumonia. The disease claims 1,400 lives every day – an average of one victim a minute – and is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xigris in 2001 as the first proven treatment for adult severe sepsis patients who are at high risk of death.
Dr. August Watanabe, Lilly’s Executive Vice President for Science and Technology, said “OMRF researchers Drs. Charles Esmon and Fletcher Taylor made an important contribution to the treatment of sepsis in the late 1980’s when they discovered that activated protein C could save baboons from the lethal effects of sepsis.” Dr. Watanabe observed, “It is in the best interest of Lilly, OMRF and most importantly patients in need of life saving medicines for us to continue to work together to leverage the scientific expertise of Lilly and OMRF.”
Lilly scientists and physicians discovered and developed a process to biologically engineer activated protein C to make it work as a pharmaceutical agent. In addition, Lilly invested eight years conducting clinical trials to demonstrate that Xigris is safe and effective in saving lives from severe sepsis and its complications.
According to OMRF’s President, Dr. J. Donald Capra, “Xigris is truly a revolutionary drug, and the scientists at Lilly had to overcome tremendous obstacles to make this treatment a reality.” Dr. Capra added, “I am proud that OMRF had the opportunity to contribute to solving one of the world’s most challenging and urgent medical problems. OMRF and Lilly look forward to future collaborations to solve many unmet medical needs.”
Chartered in 1946, OMRF (www.omrf.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute that focuses its research on cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, lupus, arthritis, children’s diseases and genetic disorders.
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation is developing a growing portfolio of best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind. Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world’s most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly in available at www.lilly.com.
Xigris®, drotrecogin alpha (activated), is a trademark of Eli Lilly and Company
