Lilly rides recent launches to quarterly, annual growth

In its 4Q16 and full-year earnings report, Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) said quarterly and annual revenue growth was driven primarily by sales volume increases tied to several drugs including Trulicity dulaglutide, Cyramza ramucirumab, Jardiance empagliflozin and Taltz ixekizumab. All four, launched since 2014, are critical for the company's growth as it seeks to balance the impending loss of patent exclusivity for a handful of blockbusters (see BioCentury, Oct. 24, 2016).

Sales of Trulicity were $925.5 million in 2016. Cyramza delivered $614.1 million, Jardiance $201.9 million and Taltz $113.1 million. Lilly launched diabetes therapies Trulicity and Jardiance, as well as gastric cancer drug Cyramza in 2014. Psoriasis drug Taltz reached the market in May 2016. Combined, the four accounted for $1.9 billion in 2016 sales, up from $692.7 million in 2015...