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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jim Parina
724-935-7029
jparina@expressionanalysis.com
Cardinal Health And Expression Analysis Form Strategic Alliance To Integrate Gene Expression Technology Into Drug Development
DUBLIN, OHIO - March 12, 2003 - Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH), the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry, today announced it has formed a strategic alliance with Expression Analysis, Inc., a microarray genetics testing and analysis company. The alliance incorporates advanced gene expression technology into mainstream drug discovery and development processes and enables Cardinal Health's pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers to optimize and accelerate the discovery of a drug and its development toward an appropriate target population.
Academic researchers have embraced microarray testing and pharmaceutical companies recognize its potential to revolutionize the drug discovery and clinical trial efforts. The alliance, which was created through Cardinal Health's Pharmaceutical Development business, advances the company's strategy toward becoming the complete provider of global outsourcing services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
"We are delighted to add the expertise of Expression Analysis to complement our wide range of services and, ultimately, help us optimize our customers' discovery portfolios," said Alfred Childers, Ph.D., co-president of the Pharmaceutical Development business of Cardinal Health. "Our customers will also benefit from maintaining the proprietary information that is generated from our services."
The technology, known as microarray gene expression processing, can accelerate drug discovery by enabling researchers to study the effects of a treated or controlled biological sample on as many as 30,000 genes simultaneously, all within about two days. Microarray technology represents the enormous array of genes residing on a small microchip, which can determine which genes are affected.
Steven Casey, Expression Analysis' (EA) Chief Operating Officer, said the alliance will combine Cardinal Health's wide range of drug discovery services, such as target validation and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) evaluation, with EA's expertise in microarray processing and analysis. "We're excited to begin working with such a well-established industry leader to expedite microarray processes into drug development and clinical applications," stated Casey.
As part of the alliance, the two companies plan to launch a new gene-to-drug (G2D) initiative. The G2D initiative will enable Cardinal Health's customers to enter the drug discovery or development arena with just an idea or direction. Together, EA and Cardinal Health can take that general direction and develop and actualize a plan for compound identification based on a targeted gene.
Given a treated or controlled biological sample, EA can rapidly detect affected genes in a given population using its Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray technology. Cardinal Health can then validate those identified gene targets and also identify compounds that affect the targets and determine the compound's metabolic (ADME) characteristics.
Treated biological samples can then be returned to EA for determining their gene expression characteristics, a process that allows clients some insight into predicting the toxicity and efficacy of the drugs.
Furthermore, the alliance affords additional opportunities that can be realized down the development pipeline, which will allow both EA and Cardinal Health to use tools for validating target groups or populations appropriate for participation in clinical trials.
About the Pharmaceutical Development Business
The Pharmaceutical Development business of Cardinal Health serves the continually changing needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries by providing discovery support, product development, pharmaceutical analysis, clinical manufacturing and clinical supply services. The business is part of a broad spectrum of services that Cardinal Health offers to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies through its Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services group. The Pharmaceutical Development business includes development and manufacturing facilities in: Albuquerque, N.M.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Research Triangle Park, N.C.; San Diego, Calif.; Schorndorf, Germany; Somerset, N.J.; Stockport, U.K.; Swindon, U.K.; and Wingates, U.K.
About Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. is the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry. Cardinal Health companies develop, manufacture, package and market products for patient care; develop drug-delivery technologies; distribute pharmaceuticals, medical- surgical and laboratory supplies; and offer consulting and other services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health employs more than 50,000 people on five continents and produces annual revenues of more than $44 billion. Cardinal Health is ranked #23 on the current Fortune 500 list and was named one of "The World's Best" companies by Forbes magazine in 2002.
About Expression Analysis
Expression Analysis, Inc., (EA) (www.expressionanalysis.com) is a full-service microarray genomics testing and analysis organization dedicated to providing clients with the highest quality genomic processing and data analysis services using Affymetrix GeneChip® brand technology. In 2004, EA became the first microarray services facility, worldwide, to provide GLP-compliant services. EA is a U.S.-based authorized service provider for Affymetrix (www.affymetrix.com), a California-based company that develops and commercializes systems to help researchers explore the relationship between genes and human health.
Except for historical information, all other information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. The most significant of these uncertainties are described in Cardinal Health's Form 10-K, Form 8-K and Form 10-Q reports (including all amendments to those reports) and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to) the costs, difficulties, and uncertainties related to the integration of acquired businesses, the loss of one or more key customer or supplier relationships, changes in the distribution patterns or reimbursement rates for health-care products and/or services, the costs and other effects of governmental regulation and legal and administrative proceedings, and general economic and market conditions. Cardinal Health undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
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