Eli Lilly and Co. has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire ICOS Corp., based in Bothell, WA, in a cash transaction valued at $2.1 billion. The two companies have been partners in Lilly ICOS LLC, the joint venture that manufactures, markets and sells Cialis, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Cialis generated worldwide sales of $456 million in the first six months of 2006, up 34% over the first half of 2005. “We are pleased to bring the full v...