Cheeky Pint Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly, on GLP-1s and the business of pharma
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Nov 11, 2025 
Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly, leads a powerhouse in pharma innovation. He dives into the fascinating origins of GLP-1s, tracing back to Gila monster saliva, and their transformative potential beyond weight loss. Ricks discusses the tricky landscape of drug pricing, citing insulin costs and the impact of new models like LillyDirect. He tackles the challenges of clinical trials, regulatory hurdles, and the rise of shadow generics, all while emphasizing the importance of transparency in the healthcare market.
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AI Generates Novel Drug Chemistry
- AI-driven chemistry can propose novel molecular structures that don't exist in nature but follow organic chemistry principles.
- Machine-plus-human discovery is emerging as a frontier for hard-to-drug targets like GPCRs.
Learn Continuously And Use LLMs Wisely
- Stay curious: read medical journals, attend conferences, and spend time with scientists to make informed R&D decisions.
- Use LLMs like Claude or XAI as realtime meeting aids but verify references carefully.
Phase III Drives Drug Cost And Risk
- Phase III is the cost center of drug development, consuming the majority of the ~$3.5–4B average drug cost.
- Deciding to advance to late-stage trials is one of a few high-impact scientific decisions a company makes each year.