Lilly’s Ceclor

Executive Summary

Lilly oral cephalosporin product is showing "sales growth in the mid-teens" percentage range in 1990, Exec VP and Pharmaceutical Division President Eugene Step told Mabon Nugent research conference Dec. 5. Eleven-year old oral cephalosporin cefaclor loses patent exclusivity in mid-1992, but Step said generic competitors "may be in for a bit of a surprise" because cefaclor's "complex production process" may keep generic companies from seeking to market product. He noted that, outside the U.S. where no patent protection exists, Lilly knows of no generic Ceclor on the market or in development. Lilly's H[2] antagonist Axid (nizatidine) and Humatrope (somatropin) human growth hormone are both growing in sales "well above 50% this year," Step said, with Humatrope expected to top $100 mil. in sales, the eighth Lilly drug to exceed that milestone. Carbacephem broad spectrum antibiotic loracarbef NDA is "on track at FDA," he noted.