Lilly and Millennium Enter Into a Collaboration Involving Automated Genomics Technology, Bioinformatics and High Throughput Screening Technology; An exclusive relationship in the field of atherosclerosis also established.

INDIANAPOLIS--(HealthWire)--Oct. 24, 1995--Eli Lilly and Company and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a collaborative agreement in the field of genomics research. The agreement, valued in excess of $50 million, includes sharing proprietary technologies between the two companies; funding for research, clinical development and milestones reached; and royalties on sales from products resulting from the collaboration. The initial medical focus of the collaboration will be to develop novel therapeutics to treat atherosclerosis using genomics technologies.

Under the terms of the agreement, Millennium will share with Lilly select proprietary genomics technologies and know-how, which will allow Lilly to substantially expand its in-house genomics programs--a key step that will further enhance Lilly's discovery research efforts. Lilly will share with Millennium proprietary high-throughput screening technologies, automation know-how and share access to select combinatorial chemistry libraries of Sphinx Pharmaceuticals, a division of Lilly Research Laboratories, which will allow Millennium to substantially expand its drug discovery and development programs. In addition, both companies will continue to discuss additional collaborative opportunities in other fields of research.

"One of the key objectives of this collaboration will be the two-way sharing of technology between Lilly and Millennium that will allow both companies to leverage each others' capabilities in several program areas," said August M. Watanabe, M.D., a Lilly vice president and president of Lilly Research Laboratories. "Lilly chose to partner with Millennium because of its multipronged approach to gene discovery, its innovative bioinformatics technologies and its broad array of technologies and capabilities for characterizing genes in terms of their biological function and role in disease initiation and progression."

The new joint effort in the field of atherosclerosis, a disease state in which both companies have aggressive programs, will build upon collaborations and studies already under way within each of the companies. Both Lilly and Millennium have a number of leading researchers and clinicians actively engaged in the study of atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in most westernized societies.

"The synergistic effect of combining Millennium's genomics technologies with Lilly's high throughput screening and combinatorial chemistry technologies is of mutual benefit to Lilly and Millennium as they work together in the field of atherosclerosis. It is also individually beneficial to each company as they work in additional fields," said Steven H. Holtzman, chief business officer of Millennium. Collaborations in the field of atherosclerosis already under way include a human genetics study with Dr. Eric Topol, chairman of the Department of Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; and a genomic biochemistry study with Dr. Michael Gimbrone, of the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University Medical School.

The risk factors for atherosclerosis are well defined and include gender, cholesterol levels, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and severe obesity. However, it has recently been demonstrated that a person's genetic makeup, as indicated by a family history of heart disease, is the single most significant risk factor--exceeding the risk conferred by high blood pressure and tobacco smoking by more than threefold. At the same time, the genetic basis of atherosclerosis remains largely unclear.

"Lilly and Millennium, as a result of their collaborations, are now uniquely positioned to be able to unravel the genetic basis of atherosclerosis," added Watanabe. "In addition, linking the capabilities of the two companies will increase the speed with which other important disease targets are identified and improve the probability that the targets identified are specifically related to certain diseases."

Lilly is a global research-based pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., that is dedicated to creating and delivering superior health care solutions--by combining pharmaceutical innovation, existing pharmaceutical technology, disease prevention and management, and information technologies--in order to provide customers worldwide with optimal clinical and economic outcomes.

Millennium uses genetics, genomics and bioinformatics to identify genes responsible for common, major diseases. The company also employs a broad array of technologies and capabilities for characterizing genes in terms of their biological function and their roles in disease initiation and progression. Headquartered in Cambridge Mass., Millennium currently employs 140 people.

CONTACT: Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis

James P. Kappel (Lilly), 317/276-5795

or

Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Linda K. Pine, 617/679-7226