India's TCS signs pharma outsourcing contract with Eli Lilly

[OhioChick]

Last Update: 1:33 AM ET Nov 13, 2006

MUMBAI (MarketWatch) -- Indian software major Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (532540.BY) has signed a multiyear outsourcing contract with U.S. company Eli Lily & Co. (LLY), the Economic Times reported, citing a TCS executive.

J. Rajagopal, global head of life sciences and healthcare business for TCS, said the company will provide software for clinical trial data management and statistical analysis, among others, to the U.S. pharmaceutical company.

Though TCS declined to confirm the contract size, the report quoted industry sources as valuing the deal at about $30 million-$35 million.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?siteid=mktw&guid=%7B3919498F-6A0E-4050-B5DC-5D32E56DEE1C%7D

[acmavm]

1. Too bad there was no American company capable of

doing that.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Farewell to more American jobs

The Tata company has already taken over thousands upon thousands of computer-related jobs over the past decade. I'm not sure, but I think they may have taken engineering and customer service jobs as well. In any case, lots of those jobs have gone to other countries.

When will Congress do something to stop the bleeding of American jobs overseas? There should be stiff taxes on American companies that hire people from overseas to replace Americans.

The use of H1-B visas for this purpose must be stopped permanently.

And American companies that outsource American jobs to other countries should pay stiff tariffs and taxes. Any federal or local assistance to these companies should be canceled.


:mad:

[htuttle]

3. There's only one way to change the outflow of jobs

Unionize the world. Governments under the control of corporate money are unable and unwilling to fix this. Workers will have to do this themselves, like they got the 5 day work week, overtime, etc. A global right to collective bargaining is the only thing that will truly 'raise all boats'. About all that governments can do is require that right to collective bargaining in all trade pacts.

[LiberalEsto]

4. That would be ideal

but I don't see how it would be possible to organize unions in some nations at this time.

In the meantime, I'd like to see my kids' generation have work opportunities beyond WalMart and MacD's. One of my daughters is quitting college after this semester - hopefully to go to culinary school - because she just doesn't see the point in running up student loans for jobs that may not exist. I agree with her.

The other one is thinking of going back to school for a teaching certificate. Her history major is worthless, and she owes more than $40,000 in unsubsidized student loans.

I want my elected representatives to protect American jobs from outsourcing. I want to discontinue all property tax relief and other forms of tax relief, grants, federal contracts or other aid to any company that sends American jobs overseas. This is do-able if we light a fire under the incoming Congress.

I have a friend who works for Fannie Mae. Their computer department is now nearly all made up of low-paid consultants from India. Fannie pays NO property taxes in DC, and was established with federal subsidies. For them to hire people from overseas and displace American workers is dead wrong. There should be penalties for doing this kind of thing.

[htuttle]

5. No, it wouldn't be possible to organize unions in a lot of places right now

But that's where including the right in our trade pacts come in. They might be able to get workers for cheap, but without a trade pact with us, how would they sell the goods?

[DannyHaszard]

6. Eli Lilly in 138 countries

Big pharma should rebuild it's public image.Recent survey shows only about 9% of Americans trust them,this is the same as the tobacco companies.

Hey,they have an estimated 90,000 drug reps in the USA promoting to doctors.

Eli Lilly has a rich humanitarian history,but if you do a blog search of "Eli Lilly and "zyprexa (their blockbuster) keywords you will find much negative blogging.

Some of it is from claimants of their Zyprexa settlement like myself who are still awaiting promised resolution.
---
Danny Haszard Eli Lilly customer

[denverbill]

7. I don't think they should be allowed to 'reimport' that data back into the US.

After all, drug safety is involved. Who knows what could have happened to the data overseas? If we can't reimport Eli Lilly medications from Canada, why should they be allowed to reimport data from India?

[InkAddict]

8. TCS got another, too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2615113

Unspeakable corporate greed just keeps feeding the beast!

[OhioChick]

9. PETA demands explanation on Lilly’s animal outsourcing shift

17/11/2006 - Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, has been asked to justify its decision to outsource its animal testing to countries with no or poor animal welfare standards, which go against Lilly’s commitment to reducing, refining, and replacing its use of animals.

The call by animal welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is another potential embarrassment for Lilly, who are still reeling from an investigation exposing the conduct of a contract research organisation (CRO) the drug maker regularly used.

The group is concerned that Lilly may be trying to avoid US animal welfare laws by selecting countries with less stringent rules as well as a more relaxed attitude to animal testing.

A recent article in Forbes magazine discussed Lilly's outsourcing to China, where, "scientists are cheap, lab animals plentiful, and pesky protesters held at bay."

http://www.drugresearcher.com/news/ng.asp?n=72089-eli-lilly-peta-animal-testing
~snip~ Eli Lilly has recently announced plans to set up research units in China as it looks towards taking a slice of the booming outsourcing industry in the East. Currently, the global market for animal testing, which was worth $3bn last year, could double by 2008.