Elanco - A History of Excellence

Lilly's venture into the animal health field began in the early 1950s. While Elanco came to broader consumer awareness in 2007 with the launch of its pet health business, the company — a division of Eli Lilly and Company — has been manufacturing animal health products for nearly 60 years.

Research for Human Medicines Benefits Animals

In the early 1950s, it was believed that certain findings of the company's scientific research for human medicines would be useful in the plant and animal fields. It turned out that animals could indeed benefit from Lilly research. The company introduced the first antibiotic for veterinary use only, a product called Duracillin A.S.^®, in 1953.

Agricultural and Industrial Applications

About that time, it became apparent there was a need for new products in the agricultural and industrial fields. Lilly sought to help fill that need. In 1954, the company formed the Agriculture & Industrial Division to handle non-human marketing. A year later, Lilly expanded its agricultural research programs, building a $5 million agricultural and veterinary medicine research center in Greenfield, Indiana, about 20 miles east of Lilly’s downtown Indianapolis corporate headquarters.

Elanco is Established

In 1960, the A&I Division was reorganized under Elanco Products Company —“Elanco” is a name formed by a contraction of Eli Lilly and Company. Elanco followed previous innovations with several agricultural and animal products, such as Treflan^®, a weed control for soybeans, cotton, and many other crops. (Treflan was so successful that, until 1983, it was the company’s number one sales product in dollars.) During the 1960s and 1970s, Elanco grew in strength and profitability. By 1973, Elanco had grown to the point that it supplied nearly one-third of Lilly’s sales.

DowElanco

The company split off its agricultural chemicals in 1989, forming DowElanco, a joint venture owned by Dow Chemical Company and Eli Lilly and Company. Elanco continued to concentrate on its core business of animal science. DowElanco was later purchased entirely by Dow and became Dow Agrosciences.

Elanco Today

Today, the company’s agricultural division has been renamed Elanco to emphasize the focus of its business. Elanco’s current product line concentrates on livestock for the food animal industry and companion animals. The products encompass four therapeutic classes: antibacterials, parasiticides, anticoccidials, and productivity enhancers. The company conducts research on products and target species and benefits from the massive research programs of Lilly Research Laboratories. Elanco was the fastest-growing animal health business in the world during the 1990s.

Elanco's primary focus has been on feed additives and other products for the food animal segment of the livestock industry. However, in 2007, Elanco launched Lilly Companion Animal Health, focused on pet medicines. Since 2007, the division launched two new products in the United States, for flea control and for separation anxiety in dogs.

Also in 2007, Elanco acquired long-time partner Ivy Animal Health Inc., a privately held applied research and pharmaceutical product development company focused on the animal health industry. Ivy operates from its current location in Overland Park, Kansas. Ivy is organized into four divisions, including Ivy Laboratories, VetLife, Ivy Natural Solutions and AgSpan.

Elanco continues to look for better ways to partner with its customers to help feed the world through increased food animal production, and to help pets live longer, healthier, happier lives.