Eli Lilly streamlines management in several areas

INDIANAPOLIS—Drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. said Wednesday it will reshuffle leadership primarily in its research labs and international operations to thin out bureaucracy and improve accountability.

The company will consolidate management by combining global regulatory, medical and patient safety divisions under the leadership of Dr. Tim Garnett, the current vice president of global patient safety. He'll become vice president and chief medical officer.

The current chief medical officer, Dr. Alan Breier, is leaving to become a psychiatry professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Global regulatory affairs vice president Dr. Tim Franson will retire.

Dr. Jen Stotka has been named vice president of global regulatory affairs and Dr. Don Therasse will become vice president of global patient safety. Both will report to Garnett.

The changes started earlier this year, when new president and CEO John Lechleiter asked the company's senior leaders to determine whether their businesses are structured the best way possible. The moves will allow Lilly to "respond more quickly to critical business needs," Lechleiter said in a statement.

That means decisions get made faster, spokesman Phil Belt said.

"It makes it simpler to identify who is accountable for certain activities," he said. "All of that adds up to a more efficient way of getting medicine to patients."

In the U.S., Lilly also is trimming its four divisional vice president roles in half. Enrique Conterno, current vice president of Lilly's U.S. neuroscience business, will become vice president for health care professional markets. Jack Bailey, current VP of U.S. sales and marketing, business-to-business, will become vice president for account-based markets.

Elsewhere, Karim Bitar has been named president of European operations. Bitar has worked with Lilly for more than 12 years, most recently as general manager of Lilly Italy. He replaces Abbas Hussain, who is joining rival GlaxoSmithKline PLC to lead a recently created emerging markets unit.

Newt Crenshaw, current president and general manager of Lilly Japan, will return to Indianapolis and assume the newly created role of vice president of policy, pricing, reimbursement and access, and international corporate affairs. Alfonso Zulueta, current area director for Asia, will replace him in Japan.

Lilly expects the new structure to be fully in place by July 1.

Lilly's stock fell 86 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $48.10 on Wednesday.