Lilly CEO says patent decisions threaten Canadian R&D jobs

Eli Lilly ($LLY) CEO John Lechleiter isn't in the least bit satisfied with the legal reasoning behind Canadian court decisions stripping patent protection from some of the company's biggest products. And he's suggesting that the country might like to reconsider if it wants to hang on to its R&D industry and the 500 staffers that Lilly still has left in Canada. "If that sort of pattern persists, it's not a question of would we stay in Canada, it's a question of would we have any business in Canada," Lechleiter told the Globe and Mail's editorial board. Patent losses have already cost the company 280 jobs in Canada, says the CEO. Story