Eli Lilly and Company India on December 10, announced entry in the branded generics segment with launch of Lil Therapeutics, an expansion of its oncology division that will help expand delivery of cancer drugs to patients at an affordable cost. India is the first country to witness the launch of branded generics from the house of Lilly. Today, Lilly launched four new drugs, Lilbecep (Epirubicin), Lilmantro (Anastrozole) and Lilxapla (Oxaliplatin) and Lilrincan (Irinotecan) for the treatment of patients with Breast cancer and Colo-rectal cancer respectively. These molecules are well established and time tested across the treatment algorithm of Oncology.

Lilly has been dedicated to delivering solutions that accelerate the pace and progress of cancer care and enhance the lives of people living with cancer. In India, Lilly has cultivated a strong equity in the Lung Cancer segment with innovative brands Gemcite and Alimta. With launch of Lil Therapeutics, Lilly aims to expand patients' access to high-quality cancer drugs.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Edgard A Olaizola, Managing Director, Eli Lilly mentioned, "Lilly is committed to improving outcomes for individual patients around the world. We understand that Cancer medicines of the highest quality continue to be an unmet need in India and as a responsible organization, we have been working over the years to make cancer drugs affordable to better serve Indian patients. This launch reaffirms our commitment to reach more patients and play a leading role in fighting cancer in this country". He also mentioned, "Though Lilly is launching branded generics in the oncology segment, we will continue to discover and develop innovative new therapies for patients worldwide."