Our second Corporate Outstanding Achievement Award goes to:

We asked Fritz Frommeyer to tell us about Lilly's internet philosophy and plans for the future:

OBGYN.net: How is Lilly better serving your clients, the ob/gyn and women's health community with internet technology?

Lilly: The web site serves two purposes. We are providing a web site with valuable information about our new osteoporosis product, Evista (raloxifene HCl). We are also supporting Lilly's commitment to women's health by being a resource center for consumers and healthcare professionals who are seeking information on menopause and postmenopausal health. The web site includes facts about menopause, links to numerous advocacy groups and medical organizations, links to on-line medical journals, as well as links to other web sites of value to the women's health community.

OBGYN.net: Why did Lilly decide to get involved in the internet?

Lilly: Lilly began investigating Internet technology in the late 1980's -- when the Internet was not popular. We saw early on that the Internet could play a vital role in extending our communication capabilities: between Lilly scientists and university scientists, among industry colleagues, and most recently with our customers.

OBGYN.net: How long has Lilly been using the internet internally, and when was your site launched?

Lilly: Lilly established a connection to the Internet in 1991 -- at that time for e-mail and Usenet groups. Our Intranet was developed in 1993-94 and was officially rolled out in 1995. Our external site (www.lilly.com) was launched in November 1994 and gave us our first global presence on the Internet. In January 1998, we launched our first product specific web site (www.evista.com).

OBGYN.net: What has been your greatest reward in using the internet?

Lilly: Many benefits are reaped by many different groups. The ones that stand out are the projects that have addressed the needs and interests of our customers -- e.g. Evista web site (www.evista.com) and the Managing Your Diabetes web site (http://diabetes.lilly.com/).

OBGYN.net: How does your web site support your goals in the women's health marketplace?

Lilly: Our goals with www.evista.com are (1) to demonstrate Lilly's commitment to postmenopausal health, (2) to be a resource on menopause and postmenopausal health for consumers and healthcare professionals, and (3) to provide information about Evista to assist in making informed healthcare choices.

OBGYN.net: What is the future for the women's health companies on the internet? What is possible?

Lilly: In recent years, the increasing popularity of the Internet has resulted in an information explosion. Women now have 24-hour access to a tremendous bank of resources that can help them make more informed lifestyle and healthcare decisions for themselves and their family members. The Internet is a powerful medium to provide timely health information that can be accessed worldwide.

In the future, the Internet may become a primary source of healthcare information for consumers. Women's health companies are expected to devote significantly more resources to developing content for the Internet. We are likely to see more product specific web sites, web sites that promote education and awareness, and more interactive sessions between physicians and consumers.

Visit the Lilly Web Site at: http://www.Lilly.com

Find out more about being considered for a Corporate Outstanding Achievement Award