Firm says chemicals employees were allegedly exposed to were never used at site

The Brazilian subsidiary of pharma major Eli Lilly has been ordered to pay a $450 million (£268 million) fine by a local court. The suit relates to claims that employees were exposed to hazardous materials at a manufacturing facility operated by the company between 1977 and 2003.

However, Lilly intends to appeal the decision, since it claims that ‘the alleged contaminants – benzene and heavy metals – were never used in the manufacturing operations at the facility’. The company also asserts that the ruling is based on inaccurate scientific claims and mathematical errors.

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