------------------------------ OMB APPROVAL ------------------------------ OMB Number: 3235-0287 Expires: January 31, 2005 Estimated average burden hours per response.........0.5 ------------------------------ UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, DC 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 |_| Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b). (Print of Type Responses) ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* Pearson Donald S. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 1251 7th Avenue North Unit 309 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Street) Naples FL 34102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (City) (State) (Zip) ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - ELI ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary) ________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Statement for Month/Day/Year 1/31/2003 ________________________________________________________________________________ 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year) ________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) |X| Director |_| 10% Owner |_| Officer (give title below) |_| Other (specify below) ____________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable line) |X| Form Filed by One Reporting Person |_| Form Filed by More than One Reporting Person ________________________________________________________________________________ ================================================================================ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned ================================================================================ 5. Amount of 6. 4. Securities Owner- Securities Acquired (A) or Beneficially ship 2A. 3. Disposed of (D) Owned Form: 7. 2. Deemed Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Following Direct Nature of Trans- Execution Code ------------------------------- Reported (D) or Indirect 1. action Date, if (Instr. 8) (A) Transaction(s) Indirect Beneficial Title of Security Date any ------------ or (Instr. 3 & (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) (mm/dd/yy) Code V Amount (D) Price Instr.4) (Instr.4) (Instr.4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==================================================================================================================================== FORM 4 (continued) Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) ================================================================================ 9. Number 10. of Owner- deriv- ship ative Form 2. Secur- of Conver- 5. 7. ities Deriv- 11. sion Number of Title and Amount Bene- ative Nature or Derivative 6. of Underlying 8. ficially Secur- of Exer- 3A. 4. Securities Date Securities Price Owned ity: In- cise Deemed Trans- Acquired (A) Exercisable and (Instr. 3 and 4) of Follow- Direct direct Price 3. Execut- action or Disposed Expiration Date ------------------ Deriv- ing (D) or Bene- 1. of Trans- ion Code of(D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative Reported In- ficial Title of Deriv- action Date if (Instr. (Instr. 3, ---------------- or Secur- Trans- direct Owner- Derivative ative Date any 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira- Number ity action(s) (I) ship Security Secur- (mm/dd/ (mm/dd/ ------ ------------ Exer- tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. 3) ity yy) yy) Code V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Option 5.00 01-31-03 A 1 0 12-11-03 * Common Stock 10,000 ** 90,000 D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Option 5.00 01-31-03 A 1 0 12-11-04 * Common Stock 10,000 ** 90,000 D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Option 5.00 01-31-03 A 1 0 12-11-05 * Common Stock 10,000 ** 90,000 D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==================================================================================================================================== Explanation of Responses: * These options shall expire at the earlier to occur of: (i) a date ten years from the Transaction Date, (ii) a date one year after the Reporting Person ceases to be a director, consultant or advisor to Elite, or (iii) sale of shares pursuant to exercise of the option. ** The options were granted to the Reporting Person in his capacity as a director of the Issuer. The option document recites that the options were granted in consideration for services rendered to the Issuer as a director. No specific value was assigned by the Issuer to such services. /s/ Donald S. Pearson 1/28/2003 --------------------------------------------- ----------------------- **Signature of Reporting Person Date Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. * If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v). ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure. Page 2