Eli Lilly starts online course in drug development
Graduate-level course aims at college students at participating colleges.
Eli Lilly University?
That's pushing it. But the drug maker's inner academic side might be coming out. Eli Lilly and Co. said Tuesday it has developed a college-level course that will be offered at participating colleges.
The online course, not surprisingly, deals with drug discovery and development. Lilly said it developed the graduate-level course with experts at 10 academic institutions.
Lilly footed the bill, which it didn't disclose, and the academic experts donated their time, said Lilly spokesman Mark Taylor.
Lilly will unveil the e-learning course, called "Making Medicines: The Process of Drug Development," at an American Osteopathic Association conference in Florida this weekend and launch the course in 2016. It will be offered as an elective at participating colleges.
The course "allows students to engage in a self-directed learning process to become familiar with drug discovery and development," said Dr. Marc Kahn, senior associate dean at Tulane University School of Medicine. "Students will obtain useful knowledge in a self-paced setting and will apply that knowledge in a series of assessment exercises. I plan to use this course as an elective for senior medical students who want to learn more about drug development, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the biopharmaceutical industry."
Lean years behind it, Eli Lilly sees growth in new drugs
Lilly said it's trying to fill "a knowledge gap surrounding the biopharmaceutical industry and its drug discovery and development process."
Lilly and other drug makers find themselves under fire publicly, by Congress, patient groups and others, for increases in prices for many brand-name drugs and for the high prices they set for many new medicines that offer small survival advantages or other benefits for hard-to-treat diseases, such as cancer.
The Indianapolis drug maker also recently started a four-week medical student rotation program for third- and fourth-year medical students. The program aims to familiarize the host students with the biopharmaceutical industry through projects and workshops, Lilly said.
"Our goal is reach more students with an interest in medical research and help provide a balanced perspective on the process and rigor behind drug development," said Yolanda Johnson-Moton, director of external relations medical affairs at Lilly USA.
Call Star reporter Jeff Swiatek at (317) 444-6483. Follow him on Twitter: @JeffSwiatek.
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