News Release

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept 12, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Building on its longtime leadership and commitment to improving diabetes care, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced five winners of the 2006 LillyforLife(TM) Achievement Awards. The winners include a teenage singer and actress with diabetes; a recently retired rehabilitation counselor who, though blinded by the disease, assists others with disabilities; an internationally recognized pioneer of pediatric diabetology; a devoted mother of a woman with type 1 diabetes; and a journalist with diabetes who started a successful web log (blog).

The LillyforLife Achievement Awards honor the inspiring achievements of people who make lasting personal or professional contributions to the diabetes community. Nominees were judged by a panel of diabetes care advocates in five categories: Young Champion with diabetes (age 17 and under); Adult Achiever with diabetes (age 18 and over); Professional Hero (health professional, educator, advocate); Friendly Face (caregiver, spouse, partner, friend); and Journalism.

Each winner receives a $1,500 cash prize (or an equivalent donation made in their name to the charity of their choice; the prize for the professional category is automatically donated) and an etched trophy. The winners were recognized at an awards banquet on Sept. 6 in Indianapolis.

    The 2006 LillyforLife Achievement Award recipients:
    *  Jessica Stone, Agua Dulce, Calif., was the winner in the Young Champion
       category. A 11th grade honor student, Stone has overcome several health
       challenges while managing her diabetes. She volunteers at diabetes
       camps, is an accomplished singer and actress and voices the Disney
       Channel character "Stanley" in the children's animated series.
    *  Patricia Ann La France-Wolf, Temple City, Calif., was named winner in
       the Adult Achiever category. Diagnosed with diabetes when she was 2, La
       France-Wolf pursued a career in nursing. When diabetic retinopathy took
       her vision, she became a rehabilitation counselor and has devoted her
       new career to assisting people with diabetes-related disabilities.
    *  Dr. Arlan Rosenbloom, Gainesville, Fla., is the winner in the
       Professional Hero category. An innovator of programs for children with
       diabetes, Rosenbloom started the pediatric diabetes program at the
       University of Florida, pioneered the team approach to pediatric
       diabetes care, and founded Florida's camps for children with diabetes.
       Dr. Rosenbloom is an Adjunct Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus
       of Pediatrics at the University of Florida.
    *  Julia Ziemieski, Plainfield, Conn., was named winner in the Friendly
       Face category. A devoted mother, Ziemieski has provided unwavering
       support to her daughter with type 1 diabetes. Her daughter credits
       Ziemieski with providing the strength, hope and ability to help her
       manage this disease.
    *  Amy Tenderich, San Francisco, is the winner in the Journalism category.
       Tenderich, who has diabetes, founded the diabetes blog
       "DiabetesMine.com" in 2005. From product reviews to personal accounts
       and interviews to the most up-to-date diabetes news, Amy reaches people
       with diabetes and the general public with her accurate and timely
       reporting.

In addition, Lilly also presented two special awards at this year's recognition banquet:

    *  An honorary LillyforLife Award to an assistance dog who saved the life
       of her owner. By pressing "9" on the telephone, "Belle" summoned help
       for her owner Kevin Weaver, of Orlando, Fla., who has type 1 diabetes
       and fell unconscious due to a severe low blood sugar reaction. Both
       Belle and Weaver were present to accept this special recognition -- a
       set of engraved LillyforLife dog tags for Belle.
    *  The newly established "Jack McCarthy Lifetime Achievement Award" was
       given to its namesake Jack McCarthy of Wichita, Kan. Beginning in 2007,
       the award will be given annually to acknowledge a person with diabetes
       who during his or her lifetime has made outstanding contributions to
       the diabetes community. McCarthy, 73, has type 1 diabetes and was
       singled out for this honor because of his passionate commitment to
       inspire and energize others with the condition. In 1996, he gained
       significant public attention for diabetes by walking from his Kansas
       home to Atlanta for the Summer Olympics, highlighted by walking a leg
       of the Olympic Torch relay. In the decades since, he has continued to
       encourage and educate people about diabetes, a commitment that Lilly is
       pleased to recognize with this new award.

"The LillyforLife Achievement Awards demonstrate Lilly's long-standing commitment to the improvement of diabetes care and education, and provide an opportunity to recognize the good work of people in individual communities," said Ron Hoven, Insulins Brand Director, Eli Lilly and Company. "Diabetes can be a difficult disease to manage, but with proper blood sugar control, people with diabetes can succeed and live full, active lives. The stories of these winners should serve as inspiration to us all as we strive to improve the care of people with diabetes."

About Diabetes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes affects nearly 21 million Americans; of that, nearly one-third, or approximately 6 million people, do not know they have the disease.(1) Roughly 5 percent to 10 percent of those with diabetes have type 1, a condition where the body does not produce insulin.(1) Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Type 2 diabetes -- a condition where the body does not produce enough insulin and/or the cells in the body do not respond normally to insulin -- usually occurs in adults over the age of 40, but is increasingly common in younger people.(1) Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death by disease in the United States and costs approximately $132 billion per year in direct and indirect medical expenses.(1)

About Lilly Diabetes

Through a long-standing commitment to diabetes care, Lilly provides patients with breakthrough treatments that enable them to live longer, healthier and fuller lives. Since 1923, Lilly has been the industry leader in pioneering therapies to help healthcare professionals improve the lives of people with diabetes, and research continues on innovative medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. For more information about Lilly's diabetes products, visit www.lillydiabetes.com.

About LillyforLife(TM)

The LillyforLife program celebrates the inspiring achievements of people of all ages who live with diabetes. Applications and program rules are available at www.LillyforLife.com or by calling toll-free 1-888-545-5115.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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 www.lilly.com.

P-LLY

(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2005.pdf.

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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company

Scott MacGregor of Eli Lilly and Company, +1-317-651-1494, mobile: +1-317-440-4699

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