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    Business Editors
    UK REGULATORY NEWS

    INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 2002--

       Lilly to Support Education, Screening Tools for Diabetic
       Microvascular Complications; Inoveon, EyeTel Programs are
               Designed to Evaluate People With Diabetes

As part of an ongoing effort to improve care for people with diabetic
microvascular complications -- including diabetic retinopathy, which
can lead to severe vision loss and blindness -- Eli Lilly and Company
is working with two companies that have developed new eye screening
and evaluation tools for people with diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy is an important diabetic microvascular
complication that often occurs without symptoms. If left untreated, it
can lead to severe vision loss and blindness. Diabetic retinopathy is
the leading cause of blindness among working age adults in
industrialized countries. Because of the importance of early
detection, Lilly is supporting patient awareness, physician education
and technologies that are designed to improve care for people with
diabetes. Lilly is committed to ensuring that people with diabetic
microvascular complications, like diabetic retinopathy and diabetic
peripheral neuropathy, are diagnosed and seek treatment.

Two companies - Inoveon, based in Oklahoma City, and EyeTel Imaging,
based in Fairfax County, Va. - have developed innovative tools to
evaluate and screen for diabetic eye disorders that could produce
referrals to ophthalmologists for further examination and, if
necessary, treatment. Lilly, a long-time leader in diabetes care, is
working with these companies because their technologies could lead to
more evaluations for people with diabetic eye disorders. Because
people with diabetes should have their eyes screened at least once
annually, these tools should provide convenience for patients as well
as health care professionals so that high-risk patients who are
currently not being screened can be identified.

The World Health Organization estimates that 150 million people around
the world have diabetes - including 17 million alone in the United
States. The WHO predicts that the prevalence of diabetes will double
to 300 million by 2025. Approximately 1 of every 2 people with
diabetes will have some form of diabetic retinopathy.

"Lilly's dedication to diabetes care dates back to 1923 when we became
the first company to provide insulin to people with diabetes," said
Elizabeth Klimes, president of diabetes care at Lilly. "Our support of
these tools developed by Inoveon and EyeTel are natural extensions of
the way that we have supported health care professionals and patients
for nearly 80 years.

"Unfortunately, despite the improved treatments for diabetes, millions
of people continue to suffer from eye disorders, including diabetic
retinopathy," Klimes said. "Anything Lilly and its partners can do to
help patients - including convenient access to screenings - is an
important part of our mission."

The projects undertaken by Inoveon and EyeTel are designed to provide
tools and education for physicians and patients in the diabetes care
treatment package. The Inoveon tool is used by primary care physicians
and endocrinologists to evaluate patients and, when appropriate, refer
patients to ophthalmologists for evaluation and treatment. The EyeTel
device is used by primary care physicians to perform automated
screenings and, when appropriate, refer patients to ophthalmologists.

The programs are designed to increase screening rates through
state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and tools. "It is desirable to
significantly increase the number of people with diabetic eye disease
that are seen by an ophthalmologist and receive appropriate
treatment," said Morton Goldberg, M.D., chairman of Ophthalmology at
the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a consultant
to EyeTel. "We want no patient to fall through the cracks."

According to Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS)
information, only 49 percent of people with diabetes in the United
States receive necessary eye exams as recommended by the American
Academy of Ophthalmology. HEDIS data are used by the National
Committee for Quality Assurance regarding patient quality of care.

Awareness and screening are among the biggest barriers to appropriate
diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Recently released
findings from an international patient survey conducted by the Lions
Clubs International Foundation and the International Diabetes
Federation-Europe demonstrate that people with diabetes are not as
concerned as they should be about diabetic microvascular complications
like diabetic retinopathy and often are resigned to suffering from
these complications.

In the same survey - released last month at the American Diabetes
Association meeting in San Francisco - blindness ranked as the top
concern among people with diabetes.

"Access to screenings for diabetic eye complications helps people with
diabetes and health care professionals who treat diabetes," said Scott
Storms of the Lions Clubs International Foundation executive
committee. "Because a major concern for our organization is halting
preventable blindness, we support increased numbers of screenings for
the millions of people with diabetes."

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.

   Short Name: Lilly (Eli) & Co
   Category Code: SAL
   Sequence Number: 00000541
   Time of Receipt (offset from UTC): 20020729T230124+0100

    --30--db/in

    CONTACT: Eli Lilly and Company
             Greg Kueterman, 317/433-6067

    KEYWORD: INDIANA OKLAHOMA VIRGINIA UNITED KINGDOM INTERNATIONAL
EUROPE
    INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL MEDICAL DEVICES PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING
AGREEMENTS  
    SOURCE: Lilly (Eli) & Co

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