Lilly is a pioneer in chemotherapy drugs, having introduced vincristine and vinblastine in the 1960s. These anticancer drugs, known as vinca alkaloids, were derived from the rosy periwinkle plant. In 1996, Lilly leveraged this expertise with the introduction of GEMZAR® (gemcitabine HCl for injection) for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and metastatic breast cancer.