Lilly Selects ICON to Manage its Clinical Data Management Business Outside the US DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Selects ICON to Manage its Clinical Data Management Business Outside the

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 18, 2008--

Lilly Selects ICON to Manage its Clinical Data Management Business

Strategic Agreement Spans More Than 36 Countries

Dublin, Ireland, November 18th, 2008 - ICON plc (NASDAQ:

ICLR; ISIN:IE0005711209), a global provider of outsourced

development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical

device industries, today announced that it has signed an agreement with

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) to manage the company's clinical data

management business outside the United States. The agreement, which

spans more than three dozen countries, excluding the United States and

Japan, will help to transform Lilly's research and development

organisation as they seek to drive productivity, gain speed to market

and lower drug development costs.

"Today's announcement is a significant milestone in the relationship

between ICON and Lilly," commented Peter Gray, CEO at ICON. "We have

been working together in an innovative partnership approach to the

outsourcing relationship, and the decision to move this important

business function to ICON is based on our proven ability to meet project

deadlines whilst driving process efficiencies. We look forward to

building on this initiative and to helping Lilly realise its vision of a

networked business model."

"Lilly is eager to leverage ICON's substantial, scalable clinical data

management capabilities around the globe. Through this agreement, we

take another significant step in our ongoing agenda to increase

flexibility, reduce fixed cost, and focus internal resources on core

capabilities," said Jeff Kasher, Lilly's Vice President and Chief

Operating Officer of Global Clinical Development.

ICON plc is a global provider of outsourced development services to the

pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The Company

specializes in the strategic development, management and analysis of

programs that support clinical development - from compound selection to

Phase I-IV clinical studies. ICON teams have successfully conducted over

5,500 development projects and consultancy engagements across all major

therapeutic areas. ICON currently has over 6,600 employees, operating

from 71 locations in 38 countries.

Further information is available at www.iconplc.com.

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.