* Mesothelioma Drug Companies

    Ranging from small companies to ones that are quite large, drug manufacturing companies that contribute to the treatment of mesothelioma are tough to find. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Making up a small percentage of cancers diagnosed in the United States, approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year.

    The problem that arises when designing medications for mesothelioma is that the disease is extremely resistant to most treatment methods. Options such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation typically only offer patients palliative relief.

    This is largely due to the fact that most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed during the advanced stages of development, making it very difficult to treat the disease.

    Eli Lilly and Company, the 10th largest pharmaceutical company in the world, is the manufacturer of one of today's most promising mesothelioma drugs, Alimta. With 20,000 employees throughout the United States, including 12,000 at their Indianapolis location, Eli Lilly products are marketed to more than 140 different countries.

    Bristol-Myers Squibb, the 2nd largest pharmaceutical company in the world, is the manufacturer of Cisplatin, another medication commonly used in the treatment of mesothelioma. The company is headquartered in New York City and employs approximately 41,000 people worldwide.

    While medications for mesothelioma are typically developed by larger companies, Alfacell Corporation is an exception with their development of the chemotherapy drug Onconase. Alfacell’s only facility is located in New Jersey and the company employs about 15 individuals at any given time.

    With drug companies such as these specializing in the development of new medications, the treatment of mesothelioma continues to hold a promising future.

- Alfacell Corporation - Mesothelioma Chemotherapy & Drug Companies

    Headquartered in central New Jersey in the town of Somerset, Alfacell Corporation is best known for its development of the chemotherapy drug Onconase. This is a medication specifically designed to treat non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors.

    Founded in 1981 and boasting just a single location in New Jersey, Alfacell is considered a "development stage" biopharmaceutical company. Like most pharmaceutical companies, they are largely concerned with research and development of new drugs. In Alfacell's case, treatment of cancer has been the primary focus.

    Alfacell's claim to fame is its work with the embryos of Northern Leopard frogs and the use of amphibian proteins in therapies used to treat cancers that have become resistant to traditional chemotherapy drugs. Derivatives of these eggs and embryos are used for the regulation of cell proliferation, maturation, differentiation and programmed cell death. They're also considered excellent candidates for the development of mesothelioma cancer treatments.

Company Facts

• Alfacell Corporation is a small company, employing about 15 individuals at any given time.
• The company's annual net sales are about $1.2 million.
• Alfacell's CEO has been Kuslima Shogen since 1985. She formed the company in 1981 in order to further the research she began while enrolled as a biology student at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

Notable Achievements

    Though young and quite small, Alfacell Corporation has been lauded for its work in the field of oncology. Its leading drug candidate, Onconase, is currently in late-stage clinical trials for use as a treatment option for mesothelioma. The company is also involved in early clinical trials for the use of Onconase to treat small cell lung cancers. Alfacell's scientists continue to research the use of amphibian proteins for the treatment of other types of cancer as well as for the treatment of a variety of infectious diseases, including the HIV virus.

- Bristol-Myers Squibb - Mesothelioma Chemotherapy & Drug Companies

    Headquartered in New York City, Bristol-Myers Squibb is the result of a 1989 merger of two pharmaceutical giants. Today, it is the 2nd largest pharmaceutical enterprise in the world. Bristol-Myers Squibb is the manufacturer of cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug often used in the treatment of mesothelioma.

Company History

    The history of this company began in 1887 when William Bristol and John Myers purchased the small pharmaceutical company Clinton Pharmaceuticals. While located in New York, the two men worked hard to build the business, which finally became profitable in 1898. In 1899, the pair changed the name of the company to Bristol-Myers Company and began selling just one product, a mineral salt laxative, and later added Ipana toothpaste to its line of products. These two items made Bristol-Myers a multi-million dollar company by the early 1920s.

    During the Great Depression, the company concentrated largely on their two inaugural products as well as a modest line of toiletries, cough syrups, and antiseptics. It wasn't until 1943 that the company truly became a producer of pharmaceutical products, having acquied Cheplin Laboratories, a company that mass-produced penicillin for the armed forces of World War II. At the end of the war, penicillin and other antibiotics accounted for much of Bristol-Myers' business.

    The company acquired Clairol in the 1970s and assumed ownership of a number of other companies within the next decade, including Mead Johnson, Zimmer, and Drackett. In 1986, Bristol-Myers opened one of its largest research facilities in Wallingford, Connecticut, housing 800 staff members. In 1989, Bristol-Myers acquired Squibb Pharmaceuticals of Princeton, New Jersey, a company that had been founded by Edward Squibb in 1858. Squibb's Brooklyn, New York company had long been dedicated to the production of "consistently pure medicines." A year later, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute was established, with headquarters in Princeton and research facilities remaining in Wallingford. Other research sites were soon established around the world.

Company Facts

• Bristol-Myers Squibb employs approximately 41,000 employees worldwide.
• Global sales for 2007 were $19.3 billion.
• The company's LifeLines of Care program helped nearly 300,000 indigent patients in the U.S. fill prescriptions they couldn't otherwise afford, valued at more than $236 million at wholesale prices.
• Since 2002, Bristol-Myers Squibb's staff has brought nine new products to the market that are designed for the treatment of cancers, arthritis, HIV/Aids, and a variety of mental illnesses including schizophrenia and depression.

Notable Achievements

    Bristol-Myers Squibb's achievements in the pharmaceutical industry are too numerous to mention. The company has brought dozens upon dozens of medications to market that have helped millions of consumers achieve better health. The Bristol-Myers Squibb medication that has shown the most promise for the treatment of mesothelioma is cisplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapy drug approved by the FDA in 1978. Used in tandem with another chemotherapy drug called Alimta, cisplatin has significantly helped lengthen the life span of mesothelioma patients.

 - Eli Lilly and Company - Mesothelioma Chemotherapy & Drug Companies

    Eli Lilly, the 10th largest pharmaceutical company in the world, is the manufacturer of one of today's most promising mesothelioma drugs, Alimta. The company was founded in 1876 by a U.S. Civil War veteran and chemist, Colonel Eli Lilly. Lilly was said to have been frustrated by the ineffective and poorly prepared medicines of his era. His goal was to make a mark on the pharmaceutical industry by improving the quality of drugs available to Americans during the late 19th century and beyond.

    Highly concerned with using the newest science in the development of his drugs, Colonel Lilly expanded his business in 1886 when he hired a full-time scientist/chemist who would strive to improve upon the newest techniques for quality evaluation. This hiring laid the groundwork for what would become Lilly's main emphasis - a dedication to the discovery and development of new and better medications. Overtime, Lilly family members would go on to serve as president of the company while maintaining the same goals as those of founder Eli Lilly.

Company Facts

• Eli Lilly is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The company employs about 20,000 individuals in facilities throughout the U.S., including 12,000 at its Indianapolis location.
• Worldwide, Eli Lilly employs a workforce of nearly 40,000, with manufacturing plants located in 13 countries and research and development laboratories in 8 foreign countries.
• Approximately 8,000 chemists, scientists, and others work in the field of research and development.
• Eli Lilly and Company products are marketed in more than 140 countries.

Notable Achievements

    In many instances, Eli Lilly and Company was a groundbreaker in the field of pharmaceutical development.

• In 1923, the company offered the first commercially available insulin product for diabetics. At the time, diabetes was almost always a fatal disease.
• In the 1940s, Eli Lilly and Company devised a way to mass produce penicillin, the first antibiotic.
• In the 1950s, the company developed erythromycin, an alternative antibiotic for the many individuals who were allergic to penicillin.
• The 1960s saw the development of oral antibiotics such as Keflex and new cancer chemotherapy drugs.
• In the 1980s, Eli Lilly manufactured Prozac, the first of a new line of drugs for clinical depression.
• The 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century saw the production of new medications, including Alimta, the only FDA-approved chemotherapy drug specifically designated for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Alimta is most often used in conjunction with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin and has shown promise in expanding the life expectancy of mesothelioma patients.

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