For press inquiries: For investor inquiries: Katie Brazel, Fleishman-Hillard for Alimera Sciences 404-739-0150 Katie.Brazel@fleishman.com John Mills, ICR for Alimera Sciences 310-954-1105 John.Mills

ALIMERA SCIENCES RECEIVES COMPLETE

RESPONSE LETTER FROM FDA FOR ILUVIEN

Conference Call Scheduled for

Monday, November 14 at 8 a.m. Eastern Time

ATLANTA, November 11, 2011 -

Alimera Sciences, Inc., (NASDAQ: ALIM) ("Alimera"), a

biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research, development and

commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, today announced

that it has received a complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to the New Drug Application

(NDA) for ILUVIEN for the treatment of diabetic macular edema

(DME) associated with diabetic retinopathy.

A CRL is issued by the FDA's

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research when their review of an application is

completed and questions remain that precludes the approval of the NDA in its

The FDA stated that it was unable to

approve the ILUVIEN NDA because the NDA did not provide sufficient data to

support that ILUVIEN is safe and effective in the treatment of patients with

DME. The FDA stated that the risks of adverse reactions shown for ILUVIEN in

the FAME Study were significant and were not offset by the benefits

demonstrated by ILUVIEN in these clinical trials. The FDA has indicated

that Alimera will need to conduct two additional clinical trials to demonstrate

that the product is safe and effective for the proposed indication.

The Company will be requesting a

meeting with the FDA to clarify next steps.

ILUVIEN is Alimera's

investigational, sustained drug delivery system that releases sub-microgram

levels of fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) for the treatment of DME. In

December 2010, the FDA issued a CRL to Alimera related to its

June 2010 NDA for ILUVIEN, which included data through month 24 of the

FAME Study. In that first CRL, the FDA asked for, among other things,

analyses of the safety and efficacy data through month 36 of the FAME Study.

Alimera submitted a response to the FDA on May 12, 2011, addressing the

issues raised in the first CRL and including 36-month trial data. The FDA

classified Alimera's response as a Class 2 resubmission, resulting

in a six-month review period and a Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA,

date of November 12, 2011.

"We are surprised and

disappointed with the FDA's decision on our application to market ILUVIEN

in the U.S. to patients with this devastating disease. Based on extensive

research with U.S. retinal physicians, we have learned that ILUVIEN's

long-term sustained delivery treatment benefit is desired and that ILUVIEN has

a manageable risk to benefit ratio. We continue to believe in ILUVIEN as a

long-term effective treatment option for DME. We are committed to, and have the

funds for, pursuing approval in Europe and for evaluating our options in the

U.S.," said Dan Myers, president and chief executive officer of Alimera.

For Europe, Alimera expects to submit

its formal response to the Preliminary Assessment Report to the Medicines and

Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) later this month. Based on

this submission, the MHRA is expected to make a recommendation on the

approvability of ILUVIEN to Alimera and the Concerned Member States (Austria,

France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain) by the end of this year, with a

decision regarding the approval of ILUVIEN expected in the first half of 2012.

The market opportunity in Europe is similar in size to the U.S. market

Conference Call to be Held Monday

Alimera has scheduled a conference call

for Monday, November 14 at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss the FDA's

response. The conference call will be hosted by Dan Myers, president and chief

executive officer, and Rick Eiswirth, chief operating officer and chief

To participate in the call, please dial

(877) 369-6586 (U.S. and Canada) or (253) 237-1165 (international). A

live webcast will be available on the Investor Relations section of

Alimera's corporate website at http://www.alimerasciences.com.

A replay of the conference call will be

available beginning November 14, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.ET and ending on

November 28, 2011 by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S. and Canada) or

(404) 537-3406 (international), Conference ID Number: 27995219. A replay

of the webcast will be available on the corporate website for two weeks,

through November 28, 2011.

ILUVIEN is an investigational, extended

release intravitreal insert that Alimera is developing for the treatment of

DME. Each ILUVIEN insert is designed to provide a therapeutic effect of up to

36 months by delivering sustained sub-microgram levels of the

corticosteroid fluocinolone acetonide (FAc). ILUVIEN is inserted in the back of

the patient's eye to a position that takes advantage of the eye's

natural fluid dynamics. The insertion device employs a 25-gauge needle, which

allows for a self-sealing wound.

About Alimera Sciences, Inc.

Alimera Sciences, Inc., based in

Alpharetta, Georgia, is a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the

research, development and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic

pharmaceuticals. Presently Alimera is focused on diseases affecting the back of

the eye, or retina. Its advanced product candidate, ILUVIEN, is an intravitreal

insert containing fluocinolone acetonide (FAc), a non-proprietary

corticosteroid with demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of ocular disease.

ILUVIEN is in development for the treatment of DME, a disease of the retina

that affects individuals with diabetes and can lead to severe vision loss and

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains

"forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the Private

Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, regarding, among other things,

Alimera's future results of operations and financial position, business

strategy and plans and objectives of management for Alimera's future

operations. Words such as "anticipate," "believe,"

"estimate," "expect," "intend,"

"may," "plan," "predict,"

"project," "target," "likely,"

"potential," "continue," "will,"

"would," "should," "could," or the negative