Question 1

True or false: Eli Lilly is a privately held company, having never traded on a public stock exchange.

Accepted Answer

False. Eli Lilly is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker LLY and has been since 1952.

Question 2

True or false: Eli Lilly’s headquarters are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the company was founded in 1876.

Accepted Answer

True. Founded by Colonel Eli Lilly, the company remains headquartered in Indianapolis, a source of local pride and economic impact.

Question 3

True or false: Eli Lilly developed the first commercially available insulin in 1923.

Accepted Answer

True. They partnered with the University of Toronto to mass-produce Iletin, the world’s first commercial insulin, saving millions of lives.

Question 4

True or false: Eli Lilly invented the first oral contraceptive, Enovid, in 1960.

Accepted Answer

False. Enovid was developed and marketed by G.D. Searle & Company, not Eli Lilly. Lilly entered the birth control market later with different products.

Question 5

True or false: Eli Lilly’s drug Cialis was originally tested as a treatment for high blood pressure.

Accepted Answer

True. Cialis (tadalafil) was initially studied for cardiovascular conditions before its erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension uses were discovered.

Question 6

True or false: Eli Lilly is the only company to have developed drugs for all four major global health pandemics of the 21st century.

Accepted Answer

False. While they contributed to COVID-19 treatments, they did not develop drugs for HIV/AIDS, H1N1, or Ebola as a primary pandemic responder.

Question 7

True or false: Eli Lilly once owned a subsidiary that manufactured a popular brand of marshmallows.

Accepted Answer

True. Lilly owned the Eli Lilly and Company subsidiary that produced the marshmallow-like candy known as 'Marshmallow Peeps' in the 1950s.

Question 8

True or false: Eli Lilly’s blockbuster drug Zyprexa was originally developed to treat malaria.

Accepted Answer

False. Zyprexa is an antipsychotic for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, not a malaria drug. That myth likely confuses it with quinine.

Eli Lilly Trivia Questions