Syncor and Eli Lilly Partner to Provide Unique 3-Hour Emergency Response Delivery Service of Xigris; Emergency Service to Supplement Distribution Through Wholesaler Network

Business Wire, August 2, 2001

Health/Medical Writers & Business Editors

INDIANAPOLIS & WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)-- Aug. 2, 2001

Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) and Syncor International Corp. (Nasdaq:SCOR) today announced the formation of a strategic partnership for emergency response delivery service for Xigris(TM), Lilly's investigational biotechnology compound for the treatment of severe sepsis.

Syncor's emergency response capabilities will supplement Lilly's general distribution service for Xigris, and will be the first nationwide distribution system to provide a pharmaceutical product within three hours to most hospitals.

Lilly's application to market Xigris, (drotrecogin alfa (activated)), is under priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"This partnership reflects Lilly's commitment to the needs of the critical-care physician and patient," said Elaine Sorg, Critical Care Business Unit leader for Lilly. "We anticipate most hospitals will stock Xigris through our wholesaler network. However, if a physician needs Xigris, and it is not readily available at the hospital pharmacy, Syncor's emergency response capabilities will ensure that physicians have rapid access to the product."

Syncor's under-three-hour emergency response delivery capabilities will complement the standard distribution of Xigris through wholesale drug distributors, which typically offer next-day delivery to hospital pharmacies.

The agreement with Lilly will allow Syncor to further leverage its core competencies in the delivery of specialized, high-technology health-care services. Syncor's nationwide pharmacy network provides safe and accurate delivery of radiopharmaceuticals to nuclear medicine departments in hospitals and outpatient clinics.

As the nation's largest provider of radiopharmaceuticals, Syncor has an infrastructure that allows it to deliver either the bulk product or patient-specific unit doses to hospitals on an emergency basis.

"The new emergency response delivery model we have established for Lilly's Xigris uses our existing operations, which hospitals already rely upon for other time-sensitive, point-of-use services," said Rod Boone, president and CEO of Syncor Pharmacy Services. "We are confident we can continue to expand the application of our service network as a trusted, rapid-response distribution network, not only for Xigris, but for other complex, critical-care drugs as well."

Sepsis is a syndrome characterized by an overwhelming systemic response to infection, which can rapidly lead to organ dysfunction and ultimately death.

Sepsis may cause multiple organs in the body to fail and may trigger the onset of both abnormal clotting and bleeding. An estimated 750,000 people contract sepsis each year in the United States, of whom approximately 225,000 die from the syndrome. Sepsis is the leading cause of death in non-coronary intensive care units.

About Eli Lilly and Co.

Eli Lilly and Co., 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, Eli Lilly and Co. provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs.

About Syncor

Syncor International Corp. is a leading provider of high-technology health-care services concentrating on nuclear pharmacy services, medical imaging, niche manufacturing and radiotherapy. In the nuclear pharmacy services business, Syncor compounds and dispenses radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic and therapeutic use by nuclear medicine departments in hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Syncor distributes these time-critical pharmaceuticals to more than 7,000 U.S.-based customers through an integrated network of 128 domestic and 19 international nuclear pharmacies. Syncor also offers information management services to nuclear medical imaging clinics and hospitals.

Medical imaging services are provided through an integrated network of 63 domestic and 13 international owned or operated facilities (including two catheterization laboratories overseas). Domestic medical imaging operations are conducted by Syncor's wholly owned subsidiary, Comprehensive Medical Imaging Inc., and international operations are conducted by Syncor Overseas Ltd.

Syncor also owns or operates three domestic and two international production facilities for positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals, and is a party to a series of agreements to make PET technology more accessible to health-care providers and patients nationwide.

Syncor also produces and markets Iodine-125 brachytherapy seeds used to treat prostate cancer, and operates a gamma knife facility in South America.

News on Demand 800/546-8172; Web sites www.syncor.com, www.lilly.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the investigational compound Xigris that reflect the companies' current beliefs. However, as with any pharmaceutical under development, there are risks and uncertainties in the process of development, regulatory review and commercialization. Among other things, there are no guarantees that the product will receive regulatory approvals or prove to be commercially successful. In addition, new pharmaceutical products can face risks of intellectual property claims and product litigation. Other risks and uncertainties affecting the businesses of Lilly and Syncor are described in the respective companies' SEC filings.