SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH), the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry, today announced it has more than doubled its sterile manufacturing capacity on the West Coast to accommodate growing demand from the biotechnology industry for sterile product development. The company is expanding its West Cost operation with an additional 70,000 square-feet of facility space and an estimated 125 new jobs for the San Diego community. The facility is expected to produce high quality liquid products by spring 2003 and lyophilized (freeze-dried) products by fall 2003.

Located in the heart of San Diego's biotechnology community and featuring laboratory and manufacturing space, the sterile clinical manufacturing facility is in a position to serve the entire West Coast biotechnology industry and further establishes Cardinal Health as a complete global provider of pharmaceutical technologies and services. The San Diego center, specializing in high quality liquid and lypholized (freeze-dried) sterile parenterals (injectables), is part of the Pharmaceutical Development business of Cardinal Health and supplements existing sterile clinical manufacturing capabilities offered in Albuquerque, N.M.

"Cardinal Health provides critical services and technologies, such as sterile clinical manufacturing, whenever and wherever our customers need them," said George L. Fotiades, president and chief executive officer, Life Science Products and Services of Cardinal Health. "Our expanding services stem from the ability to anticipate industry trends and invest appropriately to accommodate demand."

The expansion of biotechnology-derived protein and peptide drugs, antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents and other compounds, such as monoclonal antibodies, administered as sterile injectable products (parenterals) has created numerous opportunities for cost-effective manufacturing and delivery technologies. For example, the success of monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of certain diseases has fueled their popularity in clinical trials, thereby requiring biotechnology firms to turn to Cardinal Health for sterile manufacturing.

"The addition of this space coupled with our existing 50,000 square-foot San Diego facility strengthens our robust biotech and sterile product development capabilities," says Rich Kenley, executive vice president and general manager for the Pharmaceutical Development business of Cardinal Health. "We remain committed to helping West Coast pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies bring quality products to market faster and more cost effectively." 

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. 

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 statement.