Lilly (Eli) & Co
14 March 2002


THIS IS A NON-REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENT


Refer to: (317) 277-2688 - Dan Collins
          (317) 277-1172 - Debbie Davis
          (317) 433-9271 - Doyia Chadwick


                  Lilly Receives Prestigious Award for 
           Pioneering a Therapeutic Breakthrough with Xigris(TM)


Eli Lilly and Company today received the Translational Medicine
Award, which is co-sponsored by the University of California, the San Diego
(UCSD) Institute of Molecular Medicine, The Salk Institute of Biological Studies
and the journal Nature Medicine. The award was presented at the 2002 Days of
Molecular Medicine Symposium and is in recognition of Lilly's new biotech
product, Xigris (TM) (drotrecogin alfa (activated)). The award honors pioneering
work in molecular medicine that leads to therapeutic advances for human
diseases. Xigris also was recognized recently by Med Ad News as the Best New
Medicine of 2001.

"Xigris is the first biologically targeted therapy for life-threatening severe
sepsis, one of the most important unmet medical needs in all of medicine," said
Kenneth R. Chien, M.D., Ph.D., director, UCSD Institute of Molecular Medicine.
"Xigris has had a major clinical and scientific impact on an important human
disease, which is why it was selected for this award."

"Our development of Xigris is more than just a significant scientific
achievement," said August M. Watanabe, M.D., executive vice president, science
and technology, for Lilly. "Since we introduced Xigris in the U.S. late last
year, we've heard about many positive clinical outcomes from intensivists,
infectious disease specialists and other physicians who have begun to use
Xigris. Most importantly, we've heard from patients whose lives our therapy
helped to save. We are humbled by the opportunity to make a difference in
patients' lives."


About Xigris

Before Xigris, there had been many failed attempts at bringing a severe sepsis
treatment to market. After 20 years of research and development, Lilly was
successful with the creation of one of the most complex biotech compounds ever
produced. The Activated Protein C molecule is among the largest molecules used
to make a biotech compound, measuring more than 400 amino acids in length as
compared with, for example, the 51 amino-acid-length Humulin(R). The molecule has
other specialized chemical attachments such as very complex carbohydrates that
are not in other biotech treatments. Engineering a recombinant form of this
molecule requires four complex modifications of the Protein C molecule to
activate it to full biological potential.

Xigris was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November 2001
for the reduction of mortality in adult patients with severe sepsis (sepsis
associated with acute organ dysfunction) who have a high risk of death (e.g., as
determined by APACHE II (1)). The efficacy of Xigris has not been established in
adult patients with severe sepsis and lower risk of death. Safety and efficacy
have not been established in pediatric patients with severe sepsis.

Bleeding events are common in patients with severe sepsis. Bleeding is the most
common adverse reaction associated with Xigris therapy. In the Phase III study,
serious bleeding events were observed during the 28-day study period in 3.5
percent of Xigris-treated and 2.0 percent of placebo-treated patients. The
difference in serious bleeding occurred primarily during infusion. Intracranial
hemorrhage (ICH) may occur in patients with severe sepsis. In PROWESS, the
incidence of intracranial hemorrhage was 0.2 percent for Xigris-treated and 0.1
percent for placebo-treated patients. ICH has been reported in Xigris-treated
patients in non-placebo controlled trials with an incidence of approximately 1
percent during infusion. The risk of ICH may be increased in patients with risk
factors for bleeding such as severe coagulopathy and severe thrombocytopenia.


For more information about Xigris, visit www.aboutXigris.com.


About Severe Sepsis

Sepsis can strike anyone. It is triggered by infection, often the result of
events such as trauma, surgery, and burns or illnesses such as cancer and
pneumonia. The body's normal reaction to fight the infection goes into
overdrive, setting off a cascade of events that can lead to abnormal
inflammation and clotting in the blood vessels, causing multiple organs to fail
and ultimately resulting in death. Every year severe sepsis (sepsis associated
with acute organ dysfunction) strikes 750,000 Americans, at least 215,000 of
whom die, about as many as die as a result of an acute heart attack.(2) The
incidence of severe sepsis is expected to rise to 1 million by the end of the
decade.(3)It is the leading cause of death in non-coronary intensive care
units.(4)

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing
portfolio of best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest
research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with
eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly
provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's
most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at
www.lilly.com.


______________________________
Xigris (TM) (drotrecogin alfa (activated)), Lilly


References


1.   Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Score.
2.   Angus D, et al. Epidemiology of severe sepsis in the United
     States: analysis of incidence, outcome, and associated costs
     of care. Crit Care Med 2001; 29(7): 1303-1310.
3.   ibid.
4.   Sands KE, Bates DW, Lanken PN, et al. Epidemiology of sepsis
     syndrome in 8 academic medical centers. JAMA. 1997; 278(3):
     234-240.


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