SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. ) Filed by the Registrant [X] Filed by a party other than the Registrant [ ] Check the appropriate box: [ ] Preliminary Proxy Statement [ ] Confidential for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) [X] Definitive Proxy Statement [ ] Definitive Additional Materials [ ] Soliciting Material Pursuant to ss.240.14a-11(c) or ss.240.14a-12 ELITE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. ............................ (Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) N/A ................................................................................ (Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than Registrant) Payment Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box): [X] No fee required. [ ]Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11. 1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: N/A ................................................................................ 2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: N/A ................................................................................ 3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): N/A ................................................................................ 4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: N/A ................................................................................ 5) Total fee paid: N/A ................................................................................ [ ] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. [ ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing: 1) Amount Previously Paid: N/A ......................................................................... 2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: N/A ........................................................................ 3) Filing Party: N/A ........................................................................ 4) Date Filed: N/A ........................................................................ ================================================================================ ELITE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS September 2, 1999 ================================================================================ The 1999 annual meeting of the shareholders of Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("the Company") will be held at the principal executive offices of the Company, located at 165 Ludlow Ave. Northvale, New Jersey 07647 at 4:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 2, 1999, for the following purposes: (1) To elect three directors to serve until the next annual meeting of the shareholders and until their successors shall be elected and shall qualify. (2) To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournments thereof. The close of business on August 2, 1999, has been fixed as the record date for the determination of the shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at said meeting. Management hopes all shareholders can attend this meeting. Whether or not you expect to be present, you are requested to date and sign the enclosed proxy and return it promptly in the enclosed envelope. The proxy will be returned to any shareholder who attends the meeting and requests such return. By order of the Board of Directors \s\ Mark Gittelman Mark Gittelman Treasurer, Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. August 2, 1999 - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are urged to complete, date and sign the enclosed proxy page and return it promptly to the transfer agent of the company, Jersey Transfer and Trust Company at 201 Bloomfield Avenue Verona, NJ 07044, attention Howard Manger, whether or not you are planning to attend the meeting in person. The proxy may be revoked by you at any time prior to exercise, and if you are present at the meeting you may, if you wish, revoke your proxy at that time and exercise your right to vote your shares personally. - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 1 ================================================================================ PROXY STATEMENT ================================================================================ Annual Meeting of the Shareholders of Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to be held September 2, 1999 SOLICITATION AND REVOCATION OF APPOINTMENT OF PROXY The enclosed appointment of proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors of Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("the Company"). It is revocable upon receipt of written notice of revocation by the Secretary of the Company at any time before it is exercised. If the enclosed appointment of proxy is signed and returned, the shares covered by the appointment will be voted at the meeting (and all adjourned sessions). The cost of soliciting appointments of proxy will be borne by the Company, and such costs are not expected to exceed an amount normally expended for a solicitation for an election of directors in the absence of a contest and costs represented by salaries and wages of regular employees and officers, who will carry out any solicitations to be made, which amount is not expected to exceed $1,000.00. The mailing address of the principal executive offices of the Company is: Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 165 Ludlow Ave. Northvale, New Jersey 07647 The approximate date on which the proxy statements and proxy cards are first sent or given to shareholders is August 5, 1999. VOTING RIGHTS The holders of stock of the Company on August 2, 1999, are the only shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting of shareholders on September 2, 1999, and at any adjournments thereof. On August 2, 1999, (the record date) there were 8,512,615 shares of stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each share of stock is entitled to one vote. VOTING PROCEDURES If a majority of the shares of the Company issued and outstanding are present at the meeting in person or by proxy, a quorum will exist. Each shareholder entitled to vote shall have the right to cast one vote per share outstanding in the name of such shareholder (a) on the motion before the body or (b) as to election of directors, for as many persons as there are directors to be elected. For a motion to pass, the votes cast in favor of the motion must exceed the votes cast against the motion. Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast; the nominees with the largest number of votes will be elected up to the maximum number of directors to be elected. Votes by proxy will be tabulated by Jersey Transfer & Trust Company, the stock transfer agent for the Company. The votes by proxy will be cast at the meeting by the proxy holders. Any shareholder may vote in person at the meeting if no appointment of proxy has been made or if the appointment is revoked. Votes will be tabulated by the secretary of the Company. Under Delaware law and under the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the Company, abstentions and broker non-votes have no effect since a majority of the votes cast will carry a motion and directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT Title of Class Name and Address of Amount and Nature of Percent of Class Beneficial Owner Beneficial Ownership Voting Common Atul M. Mehta, Director/Officer 2,332,814(2) 29.6% 165 Ludlow Avenue Northvale, New Jersey 07647 Voting Common John de Neufville, Trustee 925,000(3) 12.7% Margaret deNeufville Revocable Trust 197 Meister Avenue North Branch, NJ 08876 Voting Common Bakul and Dilip Mehta 630,000 8.7% P.O. Box 438 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Voting Common Bridge Ventures, Inc. 535,918 (4) 7.2% 575 Lexington Avenue, Ste. 410 New York, NY 10022 Voting Common Vijay Patel 441,036(5) 6.0% 19139 Pebble Court Woodbridge, CA 95258 Voting Common Barri M. Blauvelt, Director 300,000(6) 4.1% 175 Cherry Lane Amherst, MA 01022 Voting Common John W. Jackson, Director 125,000(7) 1.7% 32 Gregory Lane Warren, NJ 07059 Voting Common Mark Gittelman 10,000(8) <1% 300 Colfax Ave Clifton, NJ 07013 Voting Common Michael Freedman 5,000(9) <1% 381 Park Avenue S, 16th Floor New York, NY 10016 Voting Common Donald Pearson 18,750(10) <1% 530 Forest Pkwy # A Forest Park, GA 30297 Voting Common Officers and Directors as a Group 2,772,814(11) 36.4% Voting Common All Officers and Director Nominees 2,366,564(12) 30.6% as a group (1) For purposes of this table, a person or group of persons is deemed to have "beneficial ownership" of any shares of Common Stock which such person has the right to acquire within 60 days of August 2, 1999. For purposes of computing the percentage of outstanding shares of Common Stock held by each person or group of persons named above, any security which such person or persons has or have the right to acquire within such date is deemed to be outstanding but is not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Except as indicated in the footnotes to this table and pursuant to applicable community property laws, the Company believes based on information supplied by such persons, that the persons named in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Common Stock which they beneficially own. (2) Includes (i) 6,300 shares held by Dr. Mehta C/F Amar Mehta; (ii) 6,300 shares held by Dr. Mehta C/F Anand Mehta; and (iii) options to purchase 745,214 shares of Common Stock. (3) Represents (i) 900,000 shares of Common Stock held by the Margaret de Neufville Revocable Trust, of which Mr. de Neufville is Trustee, and (ii) options held by Mr. de Neufville to purchase 25,000 shares of Common Stock (4) Includes (i) 20,823 shares owned by SMACs Holding Company, an Affiliate of Bridge Ventures, Inc., (ii) 55,000 shares owned by the Bridge Ventures, Inc. defined benefit plan and (iii) warrants to purchase 380,750 shares of Common Stock held by Bridge Ventures, Inc. (5) Includes options to purchase 18,750 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase 117,286 shares of Common Stock. (6) Includes (i) 10,000 shares of Common Stock held by G.C. and Barri Blauvelt C/F Heather Blauvelt; (ii) 10,000 shares held by G.C. and Barri Blauvelt C/F Meghaan Blauvelt; (iii) 10,000 shares held by G.C. and Barri Blauvelt C/F Chris Blauvelt; and (iv) options to purchase 125,000 shares of Common Stock. (7) Represents options to purchase 125,000 shares of Common Stock. (8) Represents options to purchase 10,000 shares of Common Stock. (9) Represents options to purchase 5,000 shares of Common Stock. (10) Represents options to purchase 18,750 shares of Common Stock. (11) Includes options to purchase 1,010,214 shares of Common Stock. (12) Includes options to purchase 778,964 shares of Common Stock. The Company is informed and believes that as of August 2, 1999, Cede & Co. held 1,105,941 shares of the Company's stock as nominee for Depository Trust Company, 55 Water Street, New York, New York 10004, that Cede & Co. and Depository Trust Company both disclaim any beneficial ownership thereof, and that such shares are held for the account of numerous other persons, no one of whom is believed to beneficially own five percent or more of the common stock of the Company. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS The current directors and executive officers of the Elite Pharmaceuticals and Elite Labs are identical, and are: Name Age Position Atul M. Mehta 50 President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Barri M. Blauvelt 45 Director John W. Jackson 54 Director Mark Gittelman 39 Treasurer Michael Freedman 36 Secretary Dr. Mehta has been employed as the President of Elite Labs since he founded it in 1990, and President of Elite Pharmaceuticals since 1997. He has been a director of Elite Labs since its inception in 1990, and a director of Elite Pharmaceuticals since 1997. Other than Elite Labs, no company with which Dr. Mehta was affiliated in the past was a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company. Ms. Blauvelt, Director of Elite, has been employed since 1983 as the Chief Executive Officer of Innovara, Inc., a company engaged in pharmaceutical marketing and management. She has served as a director of Elite Labs since 1992, and as a director of Elite Pharmaceuticals since 1997. Other than Elite Labs, no company with which Ms. Blauvelt was affiliated in the past was a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company. Mr. Jackson, Director of Elite, has been employed since 1996 as Chairman and CEO of Celgene Corporation (a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act (Nasdaq:CELG)), a company engaged in small molecule chemistry. From 1991 to 1996 he was President of Gemini Medical, a company that consulted to medical companies, inventors and investors. He has served as a director of Elite Labs since 1995, and as a director of Elite Pharmaceuticals since 1997. Other than Elite Labs, no company with which Mr. Jackson was affiliated in the past was a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company. Mr. Gittelman, CPA, Treasurer of Elite, is the President of Gittelman & Co., P.C., an accounting firm, and has been so employed since 1984. He has served as the Treasurer of Elite Pharmaceuticals since 1998. Other than Elite Labs, no company with which Mr. Gittelman was affiliated in the past was a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company. Mr. Freedman, Secretary of Elite, is an associate with the law firm of Silverman, Collura, Chernis and Balzano, P.C. He has served as the Secretary of Elite Pharmaceuticals since 1997. The Board of Directors of the Company has no standing committees. The Board has no nominating committee. There are no arrangements between any director or executive officer and any other person, pursuant to which the director or officer is to be selected as such. There is no family relationship between the directors, executive officers, or persons nominated or chosen by the Company to become directors or executive officers All directors of the Company are serving until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. All executive officers of the Company are serving until the next annual meeting of directors and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. Although the Board of Directors did not have any physical meetings during the fiscal year ending March 31, 1999, they had numerous telephone meetings. As permitted by applicable law, the Directors often acted by written consent, describing the particular actions to be taken. In addition, the president met with each of the other directors in person at several times during the year. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS Three directors are to be elected at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held on September 2, 1999. Directors are to be elected to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors shall be elected and shall qualify. The enclosed proxy will be voted in favor of the election of the following nominees as directors: Name Title Age Atul M. Mehta Director 50 Donald Pearson Director 64 Harmon Aronson Director 56 Mr. Pearson, nominee for Director, has been employed since 1997 as the President of Pearson & Associates, Inc., a company that provides consulting services to the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to starting Pearson & Associates, Mr. Pearson served for five years as the Director of Licensing at Elan Pharmaceuticals, and prior to that he was employed by Warner-Lambert for thirty years in various marketing, business development and licensing capacities. Mr. Pearson holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas, and studied steroid chemistry at St. John's Univeristy. He has served on the informal advisory board of Elite Labs for several years; other than Elite Labs, no company with which Dr. Aronson was affiliated in the past was a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company. Dr. Aronson, nominee for Director has been employed since 1997 as the President of Aronson Kaufman Associates, Inc. a New Jersey-based consulting firm that provides manufacturing, FDA regulatory and compliance services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Its clients include US and international firms manufacturing bulk drugs and finished pharmaceutical dosage products who are seeking FDA approval for their products for the US Market. Prior to that, Dr. Aronson was employed by Biocraft Laboratories, a leading generic drug manufacturer, most recently in the position of Vice President of Quality Management; prior to that he held the position of Non-Antibiotic Operations, where he was responsible for the manufacturing of all the firms's non-antibiotic products. Dr. Aronson holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Chicago. He has served on the informal advisory board of Elite Labs for several years; other than Elite Labs, no company with which Dr. Aronson was affiliated in the past was a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company. Due to personal time commitments Ms. Blauvelt and Mr. Jackson have chosen not to stand for re-election as directors, although Ms. Blauvelt has agreed to serve on the Company's informal advisory board. The Company is appreciative of their dedication and assistance over the past years. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS Elite Laboratories, Inc. is a party to a three-year Consulting Agreement entered into with Bridge Ventures, Inc. ("Bridge") on August 1, 1997, under which Bridge provides the company with marketing and management consulting services. Under the terms of the Consulting Agreement, ELI pays Bridge the sum of $10,000 per month and reimburses Bridge for all out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of Elite Labs. Bridge is an owner of at least five percent of the Elite Pharmaceuticals' Common Stock, as described in more detail in the section entitled Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management. Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a party to an agreement whereby fees are paid to a company wholly owned by Mark Gittelman, the Company's Treasurer, in consideration for services rendered by Mr. Gittelman in his capacity as Treasurer. For the years ended March 31, 1999 and 1998, the fees paid to that company were $50,414 and $18,338, respectively. For the year ending March 31, 1999, the Company paid consulting fees of $36,092 to Aronson & Kaufman, a company of which Harmon Aronson is President and an owner. For the year ending March 31, 1999, the Company paid consulting fees of $16,000 to Pearson & Associates, a company of which Donald Pearson is President and an owner. Other than as described above, the Company is not (and has not been in the last two years) a party to any transaction in which any of the persons described in Reg. Sec. 228.404(a) has or had a direct or indirect material interest. SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE Based solely upon a review of Forms 3 and 4 and amendments thereto furnished to the registrant under Rule 16a-3(e) during the most recent fiscal year and Form 5 and amendments thereto furnished to the registrant with respect to its most recent fiscal year, the Company is unaware of any person who during the fiscal year was an officer, director, or beneficial owner of more than ten percent of any class of equity securities of the registrant that failed to file on a timely basis reports required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act during the most recent fiscal year or prior fiscal years, and knows of no reports that were not reported on a timely basis. COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS All plan and non-plan compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to the President for the past three fiscal years is shown in the following table: Summary Executive Compensation Table for years 1996, 1997 and 1998. a b c d e f g h i Name and Calendar Base Bonus Other Restricted Securities LTIP All other principal Year(1) Salary(2) Annual stock Underlying payouts compen- position Compen- awards options sation sation Atul M. Mehta 1998 $200,000 $20,000 $3,220 (3) -- 300,000 -- -- President 1997 $180,000 $0 $1,795 (3) -- 545,214(4) -- -- 1996 $165,000 $0 $1,795 (3) -- 100,000 -- -- (1) Dr. Mehta's compensation is paid on a calendar year basis. The Company's fiscal year is from April 1 through March 31. (2) In fiscal years 1998, 1998 and 1997, Dr. Mehta's salary was allocated 75% to research and development and 25% to general administrative. (3) Represents use of a company car, and premiums on life insurance Dr. Mehta's life for the benefit of his wife paid by the Company. (4) 400,000 of the above options were initially to vest at the rate of 100,000 per year each year from 1996 through 2001; however, upon completion of the Private Placement, they became 100% vested; the remaining 125,000 options were initially to vest at the rate of 41,667 per year for each year from 1997 through 1999; however upon completion of the Private Placement, they became 100% vested. Executive Option Grants Table for fiscal year ended March 31, 1999. a b c d e Number of Securities % Grant Represents Per-Share Exercise Name Underlying Options of Options to Employees or Base Price Expiration date Atul M. Mehta 300,000(1) 100% $7.00 12/31/03 (1) The number of securities underlying the options vest at the following rate: Options to purchase 100,000 shares vest December 31, 1998; options to purchase 100,000 shares vest December 31, 1999; and options to purchase 100,000 shares vest December 31, 2000; Aggregated Executive Option Exercises and Fiscal Year End Option/SAR Value Table for fiscal year ended March 31, 1999. a b c d e # of Securities Underlying Value of Unexercised Unexercised Options In-the-Money Options/ at FY-End at FY-End Name Shares Acquired Value Exercisable/ Exercisable/ on Exercise Realized Unexercisable(1) Unexercisable Atul M. Mehta None $0 645,214/200,000 $2,822,811/875,000 (2) (1) The number of securities underlying 520,000 options were initially shares of Elite Labs, but under the terms of the 1997 Private Placement, they were replaced with shares of Elite Pharmaceuticals. (2) The shares are unregistered, and their market value is unknown and uncalculable. However, the registered common stock of the Company is trading for $4.375 per share as of July 22, 1999. Based on that price, the maximum amount the shares of Common Stock could be worth is $4.375. It is on this hypothetical value that the figure in column (e) is calculated. This figure may have no relation to the actual value of the unexercised options. Director Compensation for Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 1999 a b c d e f Cash Compensation Security Grants ----------------- Annual Consulting or Number Number of Securities Name Retainer Fee Meeting Fees Other Fees of Shares Underlying Options Barri M. Blauvelt $0 $1,000(1) $0 0 0 John W. Jackson $0 $1,000(1) $0 0 0 (1) Pursuant to a resolution of the Board of Directors of the company as of February 11, 1998, under the terms of which all non-affiliated directors will receive $1,000 as compensation for each meeting personally attended. Employment Agreements and Termination of Employment Arrangements The Company entered into an employment contract with Atul M. Mehta, effective January 1, 1996. Pursuant to the employment agreement, as amended, Dr. Mehta is employed full time as President and CEO of the company. The agreement will remain in effect until December 31, 2000, and will then be renewed for an additional five years unless notice is given by either party, in which case it will be renewed for successive one year terms. Under the terms of the agreement, Dr. Mehta agrees to devote a sufficient amount of his business time to diligently perform his obligations. His base salary under the agreement is $165,000 in calendar year 1996, $180,000 in calendar year 1997, $200,000 in calendar year 1998, with a raise in 1999 and 2000 to be determined by the Board of Directors, but not to be less than 5% of the preceding year's salary. (In fiscal years 1998 and 1997, Dr. Mehta's salary was allocated 75% to research and development and 25% to general administrative.) Under the agreement, Dr. Mehta is entitled to a bonus equal to five percent of the net profits of the company; to health insurance for him and his dependents; term life insurance in a minimum amount of $300,000 for the benefit of his spouse or estate; and any benefits provided to employees generally, including any incentive stock option plans. He also became entitled to receive options on January 1 of each year beginning with January 1, 1996 through January 1, 2001, to purchase 100,000 shares of Common Stock at $2.00 per share; upon completion of the Private Placement effected by the Company in 1997, all 500,000 options immediately vested. The agreement provides that, in the event that Dr. Mehta loses his job as a result of a change of control in the Company, he will be entitled to the present value of all salary, bonuses and deferred compensation through the earlier of May 22, 2001 or three years following his termination. Dr. Mehta is required to refrain from competing with the Company during the term of the Agreement. DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY The proxy being solicited confers, and the holders of each proxy shall have, discretionary authority to vote with respect to any of the following matters: (1) Matters which the persons making the solicitation do not know, a reasonable time before the solicitation, are to be presented at the meeting. (2) Approval of the minutes of the prior meeting but such approval shall not amount to ratification of the action taken at that prior meeting. (3) The election of any person to any office for which a bona fide nominee is named in the proxy statement and such nominee is unable to serve or for good cause will not serve. (4) Any proposal omitted from the proxy statement and form of proxy pursuant to Rule 14a-8 or Rule 14a-9 of the Rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. (5) Matters incident to the conduct of the meeting. RELATIONSHIP WITH INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS The Board of Directors shall select the independent public accounting firm for the Company each year at its annual meeting following the annual meeting of shareholders. Therefore, no accounting firm is being recommended to or selected at this annual meeting of shareholders. Miller Ellin & Company, New York, New York, is the independent public accounting firm for the Company. It is expected that a representative from Miller Ellin & Company will be present at the annual shareholders meeting. That representative will have the opportunity to make a statement if he desires to do so and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions. PROPOSALS OF SHAREHOLDERS Any proposals of shareholders intended to be presented at the 2000 annual meeting of the shareholders, now scheduled for July 28, 2000, must be received by the Company for inclusion in the Company's proxy statement and form of proxy relating to that meeting not later than June 1, 2000. Any such proposal must be received at the principal executive offices of the Company. - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FORM 10-K - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE COMPANY WILL PROVIDE WITHOUT CHARGE TO EACH PERSON SOLICITED, UPON THE WRITTEN REQUEST OF ANY SUCH PERSON, A COPY OF THE COMPANY'S ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-KSB, INCLUDING THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND THE SCHEDULES THERETO, FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 1999. SUCH REQUEST SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO ATUL M. MEHTA, ELITE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., 165 LUDLOW AVENUE, NORTHVALE, NEW JERSEY 07607. - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ELITE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. APPOINTMENT OF PROXY Annual Meeting of Shareholders, September 2, 1999 The undersigned shareholder hereby appoints Atul M. Mehta, President of the Company, and Mark I. Gittelman, Treasurer of the Company, with full power of substitution, the lawful attorneys, agents and proxies of the undersigned to vote all shares of Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. held by the undersigned, cumulatively or not cumulatively, with respect to the election of directors, at the Annual Meeting of its shareholders to be held at 4:00 P.M. on September 2, 1999, at the executive offices of the Company in Northvale, New Jersey, and all adjourned sessions thereof, with all the powers the undersigned would possess if personally present at such meeting, and upon the following matters: 1. The election of the following persons who will be nominated to serve as directors: Atul M. Mehta, Ph.D Donald Pearson Harmon Aronson, Ph.D. INSTRUCTIONS: You May Withhold Authority To Vote For Any Nominee By Lining Through Or Otherwise Striking Out The Name Of Any Nominee. If You Execute This Proxy In Such A Manner As Not To Withhold Authority To Vote For The Election Of Any Nominee, This Proxy Shall Be Deemed To Grant Such Authority. 2. Such other business and matters as may be brought before the meeting or any adjournments thereof, including any matters which are not known or anticipated a reasonable time before the solicitation. The shares represented by this proxy will be voted as directed by the shareholder. If the person solicited specifies that authority to vote for a nominee for director be withheld, the shares will be voted in accordance with such specification. If no direction is given, the shares will be voted FOR all nominees for director. To be voted, the proxy must be received prior to the meeting. This Appointment of Proxy Confers Upon the Holders Discretionary Authority To Vote On The Matters Specified In The Proxy Statement Under The Heading "Discretionary Authority." This Appointment of Proxy is Solicited By The Board of Directors Of The Company. Dated: , 1999 Signature of Shareholder (Please Sign exactly as name appears on this proxy. Executors, Trustees, etc. should give full title). Please return to: Jersey Transfer and Trust Company 201 Bloomfield Avenue Verona, NJ 07044 Attn: Howard Manger