Lilly Helps Thousands of Needy Hoosier Seniors with Cost of Medications Lilly invests in providing information, safe access to medicines for Hoosier seniors INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thousands of Hoosier Medicare enrollees receive help with the cost of prescription drugs every month when they fill or refill prescriptions at Indiana pharmacies through the LillyAnswers(R) prescription drug assistance program. Through the program, Lilly has provided $4.9 million worth of needed prescription medications to members through September 2004. LillyAnswers, for low-income Medicare recipients, has enrolled 15,454 Hoosier members since Eli Lilly and Company introduced the program in 2002. Nationwide, more than 1 million prescriptions have been filled through the program. The LillyAnswers prescription drug card allows needy Medicare- enrolled seniors and people with disabilities under Medicare to pay a flat $12 administrative fee for a 30-day supply of many Lilly drugs -- such as Evista(R), Humalog(R) and Prozac(R). Prescription assistance also is available for those Hoosiers not taking Lilly medicines. PhRMA, a trade association consisting of several pharmaceutical manufacturers including Lilly, sponsors a Web site that details many of the various pharmaceutical patient assistance programs available at http://www.helpingpatients.org/ . In 2003, over 6.2 million patients received 18.2 million prescriptions -- at a value of $3.4 billion. "We're encouraged to see how many Hoosiers have taken advantage of LillyAnswers; however, statistics show that thousands more are likely eligible for this terrific program. Therefore, it is more important than ever that we provide clear, concise and helpful information directly to those who may be able to benefit," said Lilly executive vice president Gino Santini. "Another aspect of the LillyAnswers program is that an individual's prescription is filled at the pharmacy of his or her choice, here in the U.S. This gives seniors the added peace of mind knowing that their medicines are safe. They can talk to their local pharmacist about how they should take their medicines as well as possible interactions with other medicines they might be using." Here in Indiana, Lilly has taken the additional step of talking directly to seniors at retirement centers, churches, health fairs, and in other forums about these pharmaceutical assistance programs. Specifically, Lilly volunteers have provided outreach efforts, including: * Over 100 Lilly retirees and employees have volunteered to travel to communities across Indiana to inform seniors about the LillyAnswers program, Hoosier Rx, and other pharmaceutical assistance programs, and to provide them with the application forms onsite. * Over 60,000 application forms and brochures for LillyAnswers and for the Hoosier Rx program have been provided to seniors in Indiana through the Lilly outreach volunteer efforts. * Lilly retirees and employees have volunteered over 480 hours since April of 2004 to help inform Hoosier seniors and others about these pharmaceutical assistance programs. * Lilly has invested more than $100,000 in Indiana alone to help connect seniors with patient assistance programs. Over the past several weeks, Lilly retiree and employee volunteers have been to several Indiana communities, including Franklin, Kokomo, Fort Wayne, Rising Sun, Anderson, Richmond, Lafayette and Columbus. Lilly also plans to send its volunteers to retirement communities and senior centers in Gary, LaPorte, Jeffersonville, Evansville, Muncie and other communities in the next several weeks. "This proactive outreach effort provides our volunteers with the golden opportunity to chat directly with seniors and to provide them with that extra helping hand they need with the cost of their medicines," said Julie Newland, Lilly manager of public affairs for Indiana. "We want our Hoosier seniors to know that these programs are there to help them, and that enrollment is easy. Most importantly, we want to be sure that Hoosier seniors are not risking their health by buying their medicines over the Internet from dubious sources -- especially when those medicines could be counterfeit. It is just not worth the risk when these other pharmaceutical assistance programs are available and easily accessible." "There are so many human stories behind the LillyAnswers statistics. It is very satisfying that the program is making such a positive difference in many lives," said Santini. "And I am especially proud of our Lilly volunteers, who will enable us to continue to reach out with our LillyAnswers program." In addition to LillyAnswers, Lilly provides several other specialized free products and treatment support programs on certain medications. Lilly also offers a free products program to eligible individuals through the Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards. In January 2004, Lilly became the first pharmaceutical company to publicly offer to integrate a patient assistance program into the cards. Information for LillyAnswers is provided at 1-877-RX-LILLY (1-877-795-4559) or http://www.lillyanswers.com/ . A LillyAnswers media kit is available at http://www.lillymedia.com/ . About Lilly Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and 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 http://www.lilly.com/ . (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO ) http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO DATASOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company CONTACT: Janice Chavers, +1-317-651-6253, or Anne Griffin, +1-317-276-3254, both of Lilly

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