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FHI Forms Partnership with EPS -- November 8, 1999

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC -- Family Health International (FHI), a not-for-profit clinical research and technical assistance organization based in Research Triangle Park, NC, today announced the formation of a strategic partnership with EPS Co. Ltd., a clinical research services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Both organizations conduct clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies. Additionally, FHI, with funding from U.S. and other international government agencies and foundations, designs and implements a wide range of reproductive health programs, including contraceptive product development as well as clinical research, prevention and care in HIV/AIDS.

Under the agreement, FHI and EPS are establishing common operating procedures and sharing technologies to maximize service and clinical data quality while assuring top operating efficiencies. The organizations will co-market their services to Japanese and multinational companies with EPS conducting all clinical studies in Japan and FHI implementing all trials in North America and, as needed, in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia, excluding Japan. By virtue of its history of working not only in the United States and Europe, but also in the developing world, FHI has a unique ability to conduct trials in emerging economies.

Addressing a meeting attended by over 200 Japanese and multinational pharmaceutical clinical research representatives in Tokyo today, Albert J. Siemens, PhD, FHI’s CEO, stated that "pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are expected to continue to increase their dependence on full service contract research organizations (CROs) such as FHI and EPS to meet their global product development demands. The high cost of pharmaceutical product development, in some cases approaching $500 million per new drug, the increasing complexity of clinical research, and the expanding number of studies required to demonstrate product safety and efficacy drive pharmaceutical manufacturers to use cost effective CROs with global research capability."

Mr. Hao Yan, President and CEO, EPS Co., Ltd., emphasized that "EPS is delighted to establish the company’s global development capacity through this partnership. FHI, a pioneer in the full-service CRO business, has a multinational, clinical research track-record spanning almost three decades and is widely recognized for its high standard of research and service quality."

"Since its beginning in 1991," said Dr. Siemens, "EPS has experienced dynamic growth, becoming a market leader in Japan in 1998, and initiating operations in China in 1999. With an expert staff of 210, this leadership position is a reflection of the company’s ability to satisfy the clinical research needs of the top Japanese and multinational drug companies in Japan."

FHI, with over 400 employees and offices in 20 countries, acquired PharmaLink, an Internet-based CRO, in June 1999. Web-enabled technologies will be utilized in the FHI/EPS partnership to facilitate communications among all members of a project team, including the client, and are expected to reduce substantially the time required to complete studies at remote clinical sites worldwide.