[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 101 (Thursday, July 28, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      SALUTE TO ELI LILLY AND CO.

                                 ______


                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 1994

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend Eli Lilly and 
Co., the well-known pharmaceutical manufacturers from my district in 
Indianapolis, IN, for their unprecedented response to the terrible 
tragedy unfolding in Rwanda. Eli Lilly is donating enough antibiotic 
medication to care for over 1 million refugees suffering in Goma, 
Zaire. A huge donation of gastrointestinal disease-fighting medicine is 
also being donated.
  Eli Lilly and Co. deserve our gratitude and a hearty salute for their 
good citizenship and humanitarian concern. I commend this news release 
on the matter to the attention of my colleagues.

 Lilly Rushes Antibiotic Aid to More Than One Million Rwandan Refugees

       Eli Lilly and Company late yesterday began shipment of 
     enough antibiotic product to provide relief to more than one 
     million Rwandan refugees. This aid represents the largest 
     product donation in Lilly's history and is believed to be the 
     largest one-time pharmaceutical product donation ever.
       ``This effort is yet another example of Lilly's commitment 
     to giving, especially in times of human tragedy. We are 
     responding to the dire needs of the Rwandan refugees and are 
     assisting with our strength in the area of infectious 
     disease,'' said Randall L. Tobias, chairman and chief 
     executive officer.
       Distribution of the product will be coordinated through 
     relief organizations, including MAP International and the 
     American Red Cross. This donation will provide individual 
     courses of antibiotic therapy for nearly 1.3 million Rwandan 
     refugees.
       The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 
     facilitated and supported Lilly in its initiative to donate 
     the new twice-daily dosage form of Ceclor, the 
     world's largest selling oral antibiotic. This sustained 
     released formulation of Ceclor, which, when approved by the 
     FDA, will be called Ceclor CD, is currently available in 
     several international markets.
       Under the special circumstances of the Rwandan relief 
     effort, the FDA granted Lilly permission for export of the 
     product which is pending approval.
       In anticipation of FDA approval of Ceclor CD, Lilly had 
     increased its production of this formulation. Regulatory 
     approval has been delayed to the point that existing 
     inventory will be too close to the expiration date for 
     marketing purposes, and the product will not be able to be 
     sold in the U.S.
       Lilly determined that the best immediate use of the 
     available drug is for the Rwandan relief effort. The delayed 
     approval situation afforded Lilly the unique ability to 
     provide aid on an unusually large scale for the biggest 
     refugee disaster in modern history.
       In addition to the donation of the antibiotic, Lilly has 
     donated approximately $2 million worth of Axid, a 
     medicine used to treat ulcer and gastrointestinal diseases.
       Lilly is a global research-based pharmaceutical corporation 
     headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, that is working with 
     its customers worldwide to help ensure that diseases are 
     prevented, managed, and cured with maximum benefit and 
     minimum cost to patients and society.

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