In 1987, Eli Lilly and Company introduced Humulin insulin identical to that produced by the human body.

Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases. Developed by Genentech, the first American biotechnology company, Humulin was licensed to Eli Lilly and became the first marketable product created through recombinant DNA technology.

Its initial licensing by the FDA in October 1982 also made it the first recombinant pharmaceutical approved for use in the United States.