U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

LITIGATION RELEASE No. 18097 / April 22, 2003

   NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CRIMINAL INSIDER TRADING CHARGES

   The Commission announced today that, on April 18, 2003, George R.
   Potter of Bedford, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to a criminal
   information charging him with conspiracy to commit insider trading.
   Potter acknowledged that in October 2000, his son, Timothy Potter,
   disclosed to him confidential information about an agreement between
   Eli Lilly & Co., Inc. and Sepracor, Inc. concerning their joint
   development of a new drug. At the time of the trade, Potter's son was
   employed as a manager in the accounting department of Sepracor, a
   Marlborough, Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company. Potter
   admitted that he then used the information to trade in Sepracor
   securities and later transferred the resulting profit to his son.

   At the plea hearing, Potter admitted that, on October 18, 2000, his
   son disclosed to him material, nonpublic information relating to
   Sepracor's relationship and agreement with Lilly. Potter further
   admitted that, later that day, on the basis of the information he
   received from his son, he purchased Sepracor "put" options. When
   Sepracor publicly announced the termination of the agreement with
   Lilly the following morning, Sepracor's stock price plummeted while
   the value of Sepracor put options soared. Shortly after the
   announcement, Potter sold the Sepracor put options, generating an
   overnight profit of more than $55,000. He admitted that he later
   transferred that profit to his son. Potter also admitted that he made
   false and misleading statements to the Commission staff during its
   investigation into his trading.

   Potter will be sentenced on July 22, 2003. His son, Timothy Potter,
   also of Bedford, New Hampshire, was charged in an indictment handed
   down on January 30, 2003, and his case is pending.

   Earlier on January 30, 2003, the Commission filed a civil fraud case
   charging George Potter and Timothy Potter with insider trading based
   on George Potter's October 18, 2000 purchase of Sepracor options.
   According to the Commission's complaint, by their conduct, the
   defendants violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of
   1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The Commission's complaint seeks
   injunctive relief, disgorgement of the profits from their insider
   trading, plus prejudgment interest, and civil monetary penalties
   against each of the defendants of up to three times the amount of
   their profits from their insider trading. For further information, see
   Litigation Releases No. (January 30, 2003) and No. (February 5, 2003).