Cover and table of contents

United States

Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

Commission file number 001-06351

ELI LILLY AND COMPANY

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285

(Address and zip code of principal executive offices)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code (317) 276-2000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act):

Yes ☐ No ☒

Aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold as of the last business day of the Registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter: approximately $193,649,000,000.

Number of shares of common stock outstanding as of February 18, 2022: 952,347,126

Portions of the Registrant's Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders have been incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

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Eli Lilly and Company

Form 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2021

Table of Contents

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Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other publicly available documents include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act), and are subject to the safe harbor created thereby under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, information appearing under "Business," "Risk Factors," and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition" includes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts, and generally can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "project," "estimate," "intend," "anticipate," "plan," "continue," or similar expressions or future or conditional verbs.

Forward-looking statements inherently involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Where, in any forward-looking statement, we express an expectation or belief as to future results or events, it is based on management's current plans and expectations, expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, we can give no assurance that any such expectation or belief will result or will be achieved or accomplished. Investors therefore should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The following include some but not all of the factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated:

• the impact of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic or any future pandemic, epidemic, or similar public health threat and the global response thereto;

• uncertainties related to our efforts to develop, manufacture, and distribute potential treatments for COVID-19;

• the significant costs and uncertainties in the pharmaceutical research and development process, including with respect to the timing and process of obtaining regulatory approvals;

• the impact and outcome of acquisitions and business development transactions and related integration costs;

• the expiration of intellectual property protection for certain of our products and competition from generic and/or biosimilar products;

• our ability to protect and enforce patents and other intellectual property;

• changes in patent law or regulations related to data package exclusivity;

• competitive developments affecting current products and our pipeline;

• market uptake of recently launched products;

• information technology system inadequacies, breaches, or operating failures;

• unauthorized access, disclosure, misappropriation, or compromise of confidential information or other data stored in our information technology systems, networks, and facilities, or those of third parties with whom we share our data;

• unexpected safety or efficacy concerns associated with our products;

• litigation, investigations, or other similar proceedings involving past, current, or future products or commercial activities as we are largely self-insured;

• issues with product supply and regulatory approvals stemming from manufacturing difficulties, disruptions, or shortages, including as a result of demand, labor shortages, third-party performance, or regulatory actions relating to our facilities;

• reliance on third-party relationships and outsourcing arrangements;

• regulatory changes or other developments;

• regulatory actions regarding currently marketed products;

• continued pricing pressures and the impact of actions of governmental and private payers affecting pricing of, reimbursement for, and access to pharmaceuticals;

• devaluations in foreign currency exchange rates, changes in interest rates, and inflation;

• changes in tax law, tax rates, or events that differ from our assumptions related to tax positions;

• asset impairments and restructuring charges;

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• the impact of global macroeconomic conditions, trade disruptions, global disputes, unrest, war, or other costs, uncertainties and risks related to engaging in business in foreign jurisdictions;

• changes in accounting and reporting standards promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and

• regulatory compliance problems or government investigations.

Investors should also carefully read the factors described under Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of certain risks that could, among other things, cause our actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Investors should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and should not consider the risks described above and under Item 1A, "Risk Factors" to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties.

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the risk factors and cautionary statements included in this Annual Report. Except as is required by law, we expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this Annual Report.

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Part I