ALIMTA Receives Positive Opinion From CHMP as Continuation Maintenance Therapy for Deadly Form of Lung Cancer

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)
announced today that the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for
Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion for the
use of ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) as continuation maintenance therapy in
patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Positive
opinions from the CHMP are reviewed by the European Commission, which then
decides on whether to approve the indication in Europe.

Maintenance therapy is a relatively new concept in lung cancer treatment in
which patients start maintenance therapy immediately following their first-line
treatments to try to maintain disease control. No chemotherapy is currently
approved in the “continuation maintenance” setting, in which one of the same
medicines used in first-line treatment is continued as maintenance therapy.
Currently approved maintenance therapies in lung cancer use different medicines
in the first-line and maintenance phases of treatment.

“Lung cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and new therapy
options are much needed,” said Allen Melemed, M.D., M.B.A., Alimta senior
medical director with Lilly Oncology. “If approved, ALIMTA would be the first
tailored treatment option based on efficacy that can potentially extend lives
beginning in first-line treatment and continuing through maintenance in advanced
nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer.”

The CHMP’s opinion was based on results from PARAMOUNT, a randomized
double-blind Phase III study presented in June 2011 at the American Society of
Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.(1) In this study, patients with advanced
nonsquamous NSCLC received initial therapy with four cycles of ALIMTA plus
cisplatin. Patients whose disease did not progress continued to the maintenance
phase, where progression-free survival was assessed in patients who received
ALTIMA plus best supportive care (BSC), compared with those who received placebo
plus BSC.

In the EU and U.S., ALIMTA is already approved in the first-line, maintenance
and second-line settings for treatment of patients with advanced nonsquamous
NSCLC.

Notes to Editor

About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Globally, lung cancer is the most common form of cancer and the biggest killer,
causing 1.3 million cancer deaths annually.(2) About 85 – 90 percent of all lung
cancers are NSCLC.(3) The liver, bones and brain are potential targets if the
cancerous cells enter the bloodstream.

NSCLC comprises a group of histologies or tumor types differentiated by cellular
structure. Nonsquamous histology includes adenocarcinoma and large cell
carcinoma, which account for more than half of all NSCLC diagnoses,(4) as well
as histologies classified as ‘other.’

About Lilly Oncology, a Division of Eli Lilly and Company

For more than four decades, Lilly Oncology, a division of Eli Lilly and Company,
has been dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that improve the care of
people living with cancer. Because no two cancer patients are alike, Lilly
Oncology is committed to developing novel treatment approaches. To learn more
about Lilly’s commitment to cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing
portfolio of 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.

P-LLY

ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection), Lilly

Important Safety Information for ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection)

What is the most important information that I should know about ALIMTA?

ALIMTA can suppress bone marrow function, which may cause low blood cell counts.

ALIMTA may not be appropriate for some patients.

If you are allergic to ALIMTA, tell your doctor because you should not receive
it.

If you have liver or kidney problems, be sure to tell your doctor. Your dose of
ALIMTA may have to be changed, or ALIMTA may not be right for you.

Your doctor will prescribe a medicine called a “corticosteroid” to take for 3
days during each treatment with ALIMTA. Corticosteroids lower your chances for
getting skin reactions with ALIMTA.

It is very important to take folic acid and vitamin B12 prior to and during your
treatment with ALIMTA to lower your chances of harmful side effects.

— You must take folic acid every day for at least 5 days out of the 7 days
before your first dose of ALIMTA. You must keep taking folic acid every
day during the time you are getting treatment with ALIMTA, and for 21
days after your last treatment.

— Your doctor will give you vitamin B12 injections while you are getting
treatment with ALIMTA. You will get your first vitamin B12 injection
during the week before your first dose of ALIMTA, and then about every 9
weeks during treatment.

You will have regular blood tests before and during your treatment with ALIMTA.
Your doctor may adjust your dose of ALIMTA or delay your treatment based on the
results of your blood test and on your general condition.

What should I tell my doctor before receiving ALIMTA?

If you think you are pregnant, are planning to become pregnant, or are nursing,
please tell your healthcare team. ALIMTA may harm your unborn or nursing baby.
Your physician may advise you to use effective contraception (birth control) to
prevent pregnancy while you are being treated with ALIMTA.

Tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines, including prescription and
nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. ALIMTA and other
medicines may affect each other, causing serious side effects. Especially, tell
your doctor if you are taking medicines called “nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs” (NSAIDs) for pain or swelling.

What are the possible side effects of ALIMTA?

Most patients taking ALIMTA will have side effects. Sometimes it is not always
possible to tell whether ALIMTA, another medicine, or the cancer itself is
causing these side effects.

Call your doctor right away if you have a fever, chills, diarrhea, or mouth
sores. These symptoms could mean you have an infection, which may be severe and
could lead to death.

The most common side effects of ALIMTA when given alone or in combination with
cisplatin are:

— Stomach upset, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation.
You can obtain medicines to help control some of these symptoms. Call
your doctor if you get any of these symptoms.

— Low blood cell counts:
— Low red blood cells. Low red blood cells may make you feel tired, get
tired easily, appear pale, and become short of breath.
— Low white blood cells. Low white blood cells may give you a greater
chance for infection. If you have a fever (temperature above 100.4
degrees F) or other signs of infection, call your doctor right away.
— Low platelets. Low platelets give you a greater chance for bleeding.
Your doctor will do blood tests to check your blood counts before and
during treatment with ALIMTA.

— Tiredness. You may feel tired or weak for a few days after your ALIMTA
treatments. If you have severe weakness or tiredness, call your doctor.

— Mouth, throat, or lip sores (stomatitis, pharyngitis). You may get
redness or sores in your mouth, throat, or on your lips. These symptoms
may happen a few days after ALIMTA treatment. Talk with your doctor
about proper mouth and throat care.

— Loss of appetite. You may lose your appetite and lose weight during your
treatment. Talk to your doctor if this is a problem for you.

— Rash. You may get a rash or itching during treatment. These usually
appear between treatments with ALIMTA and usually go away before the
next treatment. Rarely, these reactions may be severe (can lead to
Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis) and could lead
to death. Call your doctor if you get a severe rash, itching, or
blistering.

Talk with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about any side effect that bothers
you or that doesn’t go away.

These are not all the side effects of ALIMTA. For more information, ask your
doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

How is ALIMTA given?

ALIMTA is slowly infused (injected) into a vein. The injection or infusion will
last about 10 minutes. You will usually receive ALIMTA once every 21 days (3
weeks).

For more information about all of the side effects of ALIMTA, please talk with
your healthcare team, see the Patient Prescribing Information and full
Prescribing Information, visit www.ALIMTA.com, or call 1-800-545-5979.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the
FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the potential of
ALIMTA for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and reflects Lilly’s
current beliefs. However, as with any pharmaceutical product under development,
there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development,
commercialization, and regulatory review. There is no guarantee that the product
will receive additional regulatory approvals. There is also no guarantee that
the product will continue to be commercially successful. For further discussion
of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly’s filings with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update
forward-looking statements.

(1) Paz-Ares LG, De Marinis F, et.al. PARAMOUNT: Phase III study of maintenance
pemetrexed (pem) plus best supportive care (BSC) versus placebo plus BSC
immediately following induction treatment with pem plus cisplatin for advanced
nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). J Clin Oncol 29: 2011 (suppl;
abstr CRA7510).

(2) World Health Organization, Gender in Lung Cancer and Smoking Research,
Department of Gender, Women and Health, 2003,
http://www.who.int/gender/documents/en/lungcancerlow.pdf, (July 25, 2011).

(3) American Cancer Society, “What Is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?,” December 16,
2010, American Cancer Society,

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/LungCancer-Non-SmallCell/DetailedGuide/non-small-cell-lung-cancer-what-is-non-small-cell-lung-cancer,

(July 25, 2011).

(4) American Cancer Society, “What Is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?,” October 20,
2009, American Cancer Society,

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/LungCancer-Non-SmallCell/DetailedGuide/non-small-cell-lung-cancer-what-is-non-small-cell-lung-cancer,

(July 25, 2011)..

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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company